Bangladesh has seen fresh opportunities to expand its readymade garment (RMG) exports to Japan, as the East Asian country's share in Bangladesh's total apparel exports rose to a four-year high of 3.25 percent in the first quarter of the current fiscal year (FY2026-27).
Bangladesh exported apparel worth US$343.65 million to Japan during July-September of FY2026-27, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
During the same period, Bangladesh's total RMG exports stood at US$10.58 billion, highlighting Japan's growing contribution to the country's apparel export earnings.
Bangladesh Apparel Voice (BAV) Founder and Chief Executive Officer Mahiuuddin Rubel told BSS that there was considerable scope to increase Bangladesh's apparel exports to Japan.
"Japan is a large import market, and the recent increase in its share of Bangladesh's apparel exports makes the potential more evident. Tapping this opportunity could help diversify Bangladesh's export markets and reduce dependence on traditional destinations," he said.
Bangladesh's apparel exports to Japan have experienced fluctuations in recent years. Exports stood at US$1.15 billion in FY2022-23 before declining by 5.8 percent to US$1.09 billion in FY2023-24.
The shipments rebounded by 9.1 percent to US$1.19 billion in FY2024-25 but fell again by 4.3 percent to US$1.13 billion in FY2025-26.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh's overall RMG exports also declined in the last fiscal year. EPB data showed that apparel exports fell by 1.6 percent year-on-year to US$38.70 billion in FY2025-26.
As a result, Japan's share in Bangladesh's total apparel exports dropped to 2.93 percent in the last fiscal year. However, the increase to 3.25 percent in the first quarter of the current fiscal year points to renewed opportunities for expanding shipments to the Japanese market.
Japan's apparel import figures underline the scale of the market. According to the International Trade Centre (ITC), Japan imported apparel worth US$24.96 billion between July 2022 and June 2023.
Imports declined by 7.3 percent to US$23.14 billion over the following 12 months before rising by 3.3 percent to US$23.90 billion in FY2024-25.
The country's apparel imports increased further by 1.2 percent to US$24.19 billion in FY2025-26.
Japan imported apparel worth US$4.05 billion in July-August of the current calendar year, according to the figures provided.
The size of Japan's import market offers Bangladesh an opportunity to expand its export earnings and diversify its apparel export destinations.
The rise in Japan's share of Bangladesh's RMG exports in the first quarter of FY2026-27 further highlights the potential for strengthening the country's presence in the market, reports BSS.