Japan's coal imports fell in August 2026 from a year earlier, with volumes from the United States and Russia posting sharp declines, preliminary trade data from the Ministry of Finance showed.

The country imported 14.86 million tonnes of coal in August 2026, down 8.2% year on year, while the import value rose 22.8% to 387.46 billion yen ($2.49 billion).

Thermal coal imports totaled 9.09 million tonnes in August 2026, down 13.6% from a year earlier, but the import value climbed 15.1% to 216.96 billion yen.

Imports from the United States fell 23.4% year on year to 700,000 tonnes, with the value down 6.3% at 17.10 billion yen. Russian coal imports dropped 31.6% to 66,000 tonnes, valued at 1.30 billion yen, down 29%.

U.S. thermal coal imports fell 22.4% year on year to 240,000 tonnes, though the value rose 6.1% to 5.27 billion yen. Russian thermal coal imports plunged 52.6% to 46,000 tonnes, with the value down 49.9% at 914 million yen.

Coal imports from Asia rose 1.1% year on year to 2.66 million tonnes, valued at 63.86 billion yen, up 34.4%. Thermal coal from the region fell 13.8% to 1.21 million tonnes, while the value rose 5.6% to 25.46 billion yen.

Imports from ASEAN slipped 0.5% year on year to 2.60 million tonnes, with the value up 33.1% at 62.43 billion yen. Thermal coal imports from ASEAN fell 17.7% to 1.15 million tonnes, while the value edged up 1.5% to 24.15 billion yen.

LNG imports fell 6.8% year on year to 4.99 million tonnes in August 2026, while the import value rose 29.7% to 588.19 billion yen.