Japan's coal imports fell year on year in September 2026, with the decline driven by lower volumes from Asia and the United States.

The country imported 13.48 million tonnes of coal in September, down 1.0% from a year earlier, while the import value rose 26.9% year on year to 336.69 billion yen ($2.13 billion), according to preliminary trade data released by the Ministry of Finance on October 21.

Thermal coal imports totaled 8.85 million tonnes in September, up 5.9% year on year, with the value up 34.3% to 200.78 billion yen.

Imports from the United States fell 6.8% year on year to 1.23 million tonnes, though the value rose 7.1% to 30.16 billion yen. Of that, US thermal coal imports reached 678,000 tonnes, up 46.3% year on year, with the value up 78.7% to 14.38 billion yen.

Coal imports from Russia rose 35.3% year on year to 94,000 tonnes, valued at 1.83 billion yen, up 39.3%. Russian thermal coal imports came in at 62,000 tonnes, up 25.1% year on year, with the value up 26.4% to 1.25 billion yen.

Imports from Asia dropped 30.7% year on year to 2.04 million tonnes, with the value down 14.1% to 44.74 billion yen. Thermal coal from the region totaled 903,000 tonnes, down 17.7% year on year, while the value rose 3.8% to 17.88 billion yen.

Coal imports from ASEAN fell 30.7% year on year to 2.01 million tonnes, valued at 43.38 billion yen, down 14.5%. Thermal coal imports from ASEAN stood at 903,000 tonnes, down 16.4% year on year, with the value up 6.4% to 17.88 billion yen.

LNG imports fell 7.3% year on year to 4.78 million tonnes in September, while the import value rose 39.2% to 590.56 billion yen.