United States and Japan
The security alliance connects Japan to the US military presence in East Asia. Businesses, investment and technology give the relationship an economic dimension extending far beyond exports. Cooperation coexists with trade negotiations and Japan's debate over military facilities and their local effects.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07Businesses in both markets
Local production, affiliates and industrial chains complement cross-border trade.
Joint research
A protocol signed in October 2026 expands the scientific and technological framework.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 33.28 trillion JPY | 2025 · Japan MOFA |
| Goods: United States to Japan | 12.91 trillion JPY | 2025 · Japan MOFA |
| Goods: Japan to United States | 20.37 trillion JPY | 2025 · Japan MOFA |
| Services trade | 95,000 M USDUSTR est. | 2025 · USTR |
| Export share: United States to Japan | ||
| Export share: Japan to United States | ||
| Investment stock: United States in Japan | 8.8 trillion JPY | end of 2025 · Japan MOFA |
| Investment stock: Japan in United States | 126.4 trillion JPY | end of 2025 · Japan MOFA |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · Goods for 2025 according to Japanese reporting, in yen. The currency is retained and only the unit is converted: billions of yen / 1,000 = trillions of yen.
- Goods: United States to Japan
- 2025 · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · Goods for 2025 according to Japanese reporting, in yen. The currency is retained and only the unit is converted: billions of yen / 1,000 = trillions of yen.
- Goods: Japan to United States
- 2025 · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · Goods for 2025 according to Japanese reporting, in yen. The currency is retained and only the unit is converted: billions of yen / 1,000 = trillions of yen.
- Services trade
- 2025 · USTR · Estimate published by USTR; the published total is retained and may differ from the sum of rounded components.
- Investment stock: United States in Japan
- end of 2025 · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · US investment position in Japan published by MOFA; rounded amount. Not an annual flow or an announced target.
- Investment stock: Japan in United States
- end of 2025 · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · Japanese investment position in the United States published by MOFA; rounded amount. Not an annual flow.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
| Indicator | United States | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 30.77 trillion USD2025 · WB | 4.44 trillion USD2025 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 90,026.52 USD2025 · WB | 35,951.05 USD2025 · WB |
| GDP growth | 2.16 %2025 · WB | 1.19 %2025 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | 3.75–4 %2026-09-16 · Fed | 1.25 %2026-09-24 · BoJ |
| Inflation · annual average | 2.7 %IMF est.Annual average · 2025 · IMF | 3.17 %Annual average · 2025 · WB |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 3.4 %Year-on-year · Aug. 2026 · BLS | 1.9 %Year-on-year · Aug. 2026 · Statistics JP |
| Unemployment | 4.2 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 2.45 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -6.8 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -1.1 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 123.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 206.5 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | -3.63 %2025 · WB | 4.86 %2025 · WB |
| Population | 341,784,8572025 · WB | 123,366,7342025 · WB |
| Area | 9,831,510 km²2023 · BM / FAO | 377,969 km²2023 · BM / FAO |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDUnited States: 2025 · World BankJapan: 2025 · World Bank
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personUnited States: 2025 · World BankJapan: 2025 · World Bank
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)United States: 2025 · World BankJapan: 2025 · World Bank
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)United States: 2026-09-16 · Federal funds target range · Federal ReserveJapan: 2026-09-24 · Approximate target for the uncollateralised overnight rate · Bank of Japan
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)United States: 2025 · Average annual change in headline CPI (%) · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est. · WEO estimate; not the year-on-year change for December or August 2026. · Alternative official source; verified 2026-10-07Japan: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World Bank
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedUnited States: 2026-08 · Headline CPI change relative to the same month of the previous year (%) · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Published: 2026-09-11 · Headline year-on-year CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted; not monthly or core inflation.Japan: 2026-08 · Change in headline CPI from the same month of the previous year (%) · Statistics Bureau of Japan · Published: 2026-09-18 · National headline CPI, 2025 base; includes fresh food and energy. The measure excluding fresh food (1.7%) and the preliminary Tokyo release are not used.
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionUnited States: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.Japan: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)United States: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Japan: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)United States: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Japan: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPUnited States: 2025 · World BankJapan: 2025 · World Bank
- Population
- PeopleUnited States: 2025 · World BankJapan: 2025 · World Bank
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceUnited States: 2023 · Total area including inland waters; territorial coverage of the source · World Bank · FAOJapan: 2023 · Total area, including inland waters; source's territorial coverage · World Bank · FAO
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
United States to Japan
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Japan to United States
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
Resident communities, science and academic contacts sustain connections that are not limited to the military presence. [1] [3]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
Travel figures retain each source's coverage. Check the definitions and periods before comparing the two directions.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from United States living in JapanUS nationality; count published by MOFA | 69,787 | December 2025 · Japan MOFA |
| Residents from Japan living in United StatesJapanese nationality; MOFA consular count | 416,380 | October 2025 · Japan MOFA |
| Study and training: United States in JapanHigher education and Japanese-language schools; student residence status | 4,579 | 2025-05-01 · JASSO |
| Study and training: Japan in United StatesInternational students; includes OPT | 13,814 | 2024/25 · IIE / Open Doors |
| Academic stays: United States in JapanStudy abroad carrying academic credit | 11,217 | 2023/24 · IIE / Open Doors |
| Academic stays: Japan in United StatesOutbound mobility reported by Japanese institutions | 12,627 | 2024/25 (FY2024) · JASSO |
| Travel: United States to JapanVisitors to Japan by nationality; final annual total | 3,306,820arrivals | 2025 · Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) |
| Travel: Japan to United StatesCountry of residence; at least one night in the United States | 1,967,298arrivals | 2025 · NTTO / U.S. Commerce |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
- Residents from United States living in Japan
- US nationals residing in Japan according to the MOFA profile; not birthplace or travellers. December 2025 · Japan MOFA
- Residents from Japan living in United States
- Japanese nationals residing in the United States according to MOFA; its own consular criterion and date, not Japanese ancestry. October 2025 · Japan MOFA
- Study and training: United States in Japan
- Survey of enrolled students as of 1 May 2025. Includes Japanese-language schools and preparatory education; not visas issued or exclusively university students. 2025-05-01 · JASSO
- Study and training: Japan in United States
- Open Doors total: undergraduate, graduate and non-degree programmes, and OPT training. Not the number of visas issued. 2024/25 · IIE / Open Doors
- Academic stays: United States in Japan
- Students at U.S. institutions undertaking an academic stay in the destination country; reference period 2023/24, not 2024/25. Iran explicitly publishes zero; N/A is not treated as zero. 2023/24 · IIE / Open Doors
- Academic stays: Japan in United States
- Students sent abroad by Japanese institutions in fiscal year 2024 (April 2024–March 2025), with and without an agreement. Not a stock of resident Japanese university students or visas issued. Academic credit is not assumed for every programme. 2024/25 (FY2024) · JASSO
- Travel: United States to Japan
- Foreign visitor arrivals by nationality, not residence or unique people. January–December 2025 total, page 2; not the partial cumulative figure for 2026 on page 1. 2025 · Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)
- Travel: Japan to United States
- Arrivals of international visitors residing in the stated country, with eligible visa categories and an overnight stay. Not citizens by nationality, unique individuals or visas issued. 2025 · NTTO / U.S. Commerce
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
An alliance with a permanent military presence
The 1960 security treaty provides the framework for defence and the US presence in Japan. Its operation includes operational coordination, deterrence and agreements concerning deployed forces. Japan's Diplomatic Bluebook also describes local issues related to the facilities and Okinawa. A base's strategic usefulness and its impact on the people living nearby are distinct dimensions of the same relationship. [1] [2]
Trade alone does not explain business integration
Japan reports exports to the United States of 20.37 trillion yen and imports of 12.91 trillion for 2025. Its investment positions also show an extensive business presence in both directions. A Japanese factory selling within the United States is not an export from Japan: trade, affiliate production and investment stock describe different activities. The indicators therefore retain separate rows and definitions. [1]
Resident communities and local effects
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports 416,380 Japanese nationals in the United States in October 2025 and 69,787 US nationals in Japan in December. These are counts by nationality with different dates, not estimates of social affinity or of everyone born in the other country. These civilian connections complement cooperation between governments; resident communities should not be confused with military personnel or short-term visitors either. [1]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
Trade rules and market access
The trade and digital trade agreements that entered into force in 2020 form part of the bilateral economic framework. They are instruments with specific scopes, not a single agreement eliminating every barrier. For a business, it matters which product, service or digital rule each instrument covers. A subsequent trade announcement does not by itself establish that all goods receive the same treatment or that sectoral disputes disappear. [4]
The scientific protocol of October 2026
On 2 October 2026, a protocol extending and amending the agreement on cooperation in scientific and technological research and development was signed in Tokyo. This instrument documents a channel of collaboration distinct from the military alliance and trade. Its signing does not yet measure completed projects, patents or executed investments; those results require subsequent information. It does identify a recent, verifiable action by the two governments. [3]
Milestones and consequences
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Goods and investment positions: Japanese reporting, yen and 2025. Resident counts have their own dates and coverage. They are not mixed with figures for people of Japanese or US ancestry.
- Japan–United States relations: basic data
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · Institutional source · Document: 2026-08-07 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Japan–U.S. security arrangements
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Protocol on scientific and technological cooperation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · Institutional source · Document: 2026-10-02 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Trade agreement between Japan and the United States
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07