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日本海事新聞ニュース Japan Maritime Daily Sep 08, 2025 (Mon)

Japan’s Container Trade to North America Faces Long-Term Decline

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　The volume of container traffic from Japan to North America (eastbound of North America) (prelimina ・・・続きはログインして下さいnext %E3%80%80The+volume+of+container+traffic+from+Japan+to+North+America+%28eastbound+of+North+America%29+%28preliminary+figures%29+increased+13%25+from+the+same+month+last+year+to+65%2C000+TEU.+This+is+the+first+time+since+March+that+monthly+transport+volume+has+exceeded+60%2C000+TEU.+Due+to+a+backlash+from+the+strong+performance+in+2024%2C+cargo+movement+have+been+fluctuating+in+2025%2C+but+the+numbers+do+not+show+a+significant+impact+from+the+US+Trump+tariffs.+On+the+other+hand%2C+the+current+market+conditions+for+freight+rates+from+Japan+indicate+that+the+FAK+%28Freight+All+Kinds%29+rates+offered+by+some+shipping+companies+in+September+appear+to+have+fallen+to+the+level+of+this+fiscal+year%E2%80%99s+annual+contract.+Cargo+movements+from+Japan+have+been+gradually+declining+over+the+past+25+years%2C+and+shipping+companies+and+forwarders+are+struggling+to+collect+cargo+in+the+stagnant+Japanese+market.+%3Cbr%3E+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%80%9CThis+year%2C+compared+to+previous+years%2C+it+seems+that+shipping+companies+have+been+reluctant+to+issue+named+accounts+to+forwarders.%E2%80%9C+A+forwarder+official+said+so.+Aside+from+uncertainties+such+as+Trump+tariffs%2C+shipping+companies+appear+to+have+narrowed+down+their+focus+to+forwarders+in+anticipation+of+market+fluctuations+amid+instability.+The+market+for+shipments+originating+from+Asia+jumped+sharply+in+May+and+June%2C+but+not+so+much+for+shipments+originating+from+Japan.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+current+FAK+rates+offered+by+shipping+companies+for+September+shipments+from+Japan+to+the+west+coast+of+North+America+are+around+%242%2C200-%242%2C300+per+FEU+%28including+BAF+%28Bunker+Adjustment+Factor%29%29.+Some+shipping+companies+have+offered+prices+as+low+as+%241%2C900%2C+which+is+below+%242%2C000.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80On+the+other+hand%2C+there+is+also+the+view+that+named+accounts+have+been+shrinking+in+recent+years.+%E2%80%9CHonestly%2C+the+Japanese+market+is+shrinking%2C+so+forwarders+are+competing+for+the+limited+number+of+named+accounts%2C+and+from+the+shipping+company%E2%80%99s+perspective%2C+the+success+rate+is+falling.+That%E2%80%99s+why+shipping+companies+in+Japan+have+started+to+only+deal+with+BCOs+%28beneficial+cargo+owners%2C+or+shippers+with+shipping+rights%29.%E2%80%9C+A+shipping+company+official+pointed+out.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Named+accounts+are+contracts+with+shipping+companies+that+forwarders+enter+into+on+behalf+of+specific+shippers.+Typically%2C+large+shippers+contract+directly+with+shipping+companies+because+they+have+large+volumes+of+goods%2C+but+as+the+volume+of+goods+increases%2C+%E2%80%9Cit+was+not+uncommon+in+the+past+for+shippers+to+no+longer+be+able+to+handle+the+arrangements+themselves%2C+such+as+making+transportation+contracts%2C+and+to+have+forwarders+step+in+along+the+way%2C%E2%80%9C+according+to+a+shipping+company+insider.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80When+the+Japanese+market+was+growing%2C+it+was+possible+to+use+BCO%2C+named+accounts%2C+FAK%2C+etc.%2C+but+now+that+growth+has+stopped+and+the+market+is+gradually+declining%2C+it+seems+that+the+situation+has+become+difficult.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80According+to+the+Japan+Maritime+Center%2C+of+the+Transpacific+Eastbound+cargo+movements+in+2000%2C+820%2C000+TEUs+originated+from+Japan.+At+its+peak+in+2006%2C+it+was+880%2C000+TEUs%2C+but+since+the+Global+Financial+Crisis%2C+it+has+fallen+to+the+600%2C000+TEU+range.+In+2020%2C+immediately+after+the+coronavirus+pandemic%2C+volumes+fell+to+the+high+500%2C000+range+in+2021+but+have+recovered+to+670%2C000+TEUs+in+2024.+Still%2C+it+falls+short+of+the+levels+in+the+2000s.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Looking+at+the+items+individually%2C+automobile+parts%2C+excluding+tires+and+vehicles%2C+had+been+hovering+around+200%2C000+TEUs+since+2000%2C+but+after+the+Global+Financial+Crisis%2C+they+fell+well+below+200%2C000+TEUs.+It+was+120%2C000+TEUs+in+the+most+recent+year+of+2024%2C+almost+half+of+what+it+was+in+2000.+This+gives+us+a+glimpse+into+the+structure+in+which+shipping+companies+and+forwarders+compete+for+automobile+parts+and+other+items+with+stable+shipping+volumes.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80On+the+other+hand%2C+the+total+number+of+Transpacific+Eastbound+was+7+million+TEUs+in+2000%2C+but+this+increased+approximately+three+times+to+21+million+TEUs+in+2024.+Previously%2C+shipping+companies+placed+importance+on+the+Japanese+market%2C+taking+into+consideration+JOA+%28Japan+Offshore+Accounts%29%2C+which+are+controlled+by+Japanese+shippers+from+overseas%2C+but+this+situation+is+beginning+to+change+since+the+coronavirus+pandemic.+%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EDisclaimer%3A+The+English+translations+provided+through+this+service+are+the+result+of+translations+made+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+or+automatically+and+mechanically+translated+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+using+an+automated+translation+system+provided+by+a+third+party+after+certain+processing+of+the+Japanese+content+licensed+by+the+third+party.+In+terms+of+the+English+translation%2C+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+and+MarineNet+Co.%2C+Ltd.+make+no+warranty+or+burden+of+any+kind%2C+express+or+implied%2C+including+its+accuracy%2C+reliability%2C+validity+or+fitness+for+a+particular+purpose.+MarineNet+Users+should+fully+understand+that+this+service+uses+an+automated+translation+system+that+automatically+and+mechanically+recognizes+and+analyzes+information+and+produces+results.+The+users+should+understand+the+above+conditions+before+using+this+service.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E5%85%8D%E8%B2%AC%E4%BA%8B%E9%A0%85%EF%BC%9A%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%82%92%E4%BB%8B%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B%E3%81%95%E3%82%8C%E3%82%8B%E8%8B%B1%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%BD%9C%E6%88%90%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%81%8B%E3%80%81%E5%8F%88%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89%E4%BD%BF%E7%94%A8%E8%A8%B1%E8%AB%BE%E3%82%92%E5%8F%97%E3%81%91%E3%81%9F%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%86%E3%83%B3%E3%83%84%E3%82%92%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%B8%80%E5%AE%9A%E3%81%AE%E5%87%A6%E7%90%86%E3%82%92%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A7%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8C%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%A0%E3%82%92%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%9A%84%E3%83%BB%E6%A9%9F%E6%A2%B0%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AB%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E7%B5%90%E6%9E%9C%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%80%81%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E5%BD%93%E8%A9%B2%E8%8B%B1%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%AB%E9%96%A2%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%80%81%E3%81%9D%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%A3%E7%A2%BA%E6%80%A7%E3%80%81%E4%BF%A1%E9%A0%BC%E6%80%A7%E3%80%81%E5%A6%A5%E5%BD%93%E6%80%A7%E5%8F%8A%E3%81%B3%E7%89%B9%E5%AE%9A%E7%9B%AE%E7%9A%84%E3%81%B8%E3%81%AE%E9%81%A9%E5%90%88%E6%80%A7%E3%82%92%E5%90%AB%E3%82%81%E3%80%81%E6%98%8E%E7%A4%BA%E5%8F%88%E3%81%AF%E9%BB%99%E7%A4%BA%E3%81%AB%E3%82%82%E3%80%81%E3%81%84%E3%81%8B%E3%81%AA%E3%82%8B%E4%BF%9D%E8%A8%BC%E3%82%82%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%80%82%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%83%A6%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B6%E3%83%BC%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%81%8C%E3%80%81%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%9A%84%E3%81%8B%E3%81%A4%E6%A9%9F%E6%A2%B0%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AB%E6%83%85%E5%A0%B1%E3%82%92%E8%AA%8D%E8%AD%98%E3%83%BB%E5%88%86%E6%9E%90%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E7%B5%90%E6%9E%9C%E3%82%92%E5%87%BA%E5%8A%9B%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%A0%E3%82%92%E4%BD%BF%E7%94%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8%E3%82%92%E5%8D%81%E5%88%86%E3%81%AB%E7%90%86%E8%A7%A3%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A7%E3%80%81%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%82%92%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%82%82%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99%E3%80%82%3Cbr%3E