The cyclical trend in bedroom furniture imports is once again repeated in 2017. After peaking in the spring Japan’s imports of wooden bedroom furniture traditionally drop back in the months to year end only to pick up once again.
Wooden kitchen furniture on the other hand have seen a surge in imports, partly due to home owners cashing in on buy-to-rent properties, a tactic used to reduce inheritance taxes by the wealthy.
Office furniture imports are small compared to the value of wooden bedroom and kitchen furniture. Year-on-year, the value of October imports of wooden office furniture was up 10 per cent. Compared to a month earlier, imports in October rose six per cent. For the first 10 months of 2017, wooden office furniture imports were around six per cent higher than over the same period in 2016.
China accounted for over 60 per cent of Japan’s wooden office furniture. Other supplying countries are Italy and Taiwan, and these three countries account for 80 per cent of all shipments.
Kitchen furniture imports have been rising steadily since July and October marked another high. However, despite the second half surge in imports, the total value in the first 10 months of 2017 showed little difference from that during the same period in 2016. In the first half of 2017, imports were below average.
Year-on-year October 2017 imports were up 37 per cent; month-on-month there was a 12 per cent rise in October 2017 from a month earlier. The Philippines, Vietnam and China accounted for over 90 per cent of all September shipments of wooden kitchen furniture.
Source: ITTO
