Being in Japan upon the invitation of Epson brings to mind how big this market is. It’s really a wonder how Japan has recovered in just over six decades after it was devastated by two atomic bombs to end its war against the Philippines’ number one ally, the United States of America.

Japan’s 128-million consumer base (2008 data) imports a total of $551 billion worth of merchandise from the world, making it the fourth largest importer in the world. Its per capita GDP of $35,271 allows the well-educated and discriminating Japanese consumers to buy what they want but require the highest quality standards.

Although Japan and the Philippines were against each other during WWII, they have both patched up and now enjoy a healthy trade. We buy a lot of Japanese made vehicles and electronic products while they require our services and a lot of our bananas.

The Philippines is supplying more than 90 percent of Japan’s bananas making it our biggest market, on top of Iran, China, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, in that order. Together with 29 other export markets, the value of Japan’s imports of bananas from the Philippines represents 33.2 percent of the total banana exports of the Philippines.

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Japan's craze for Philippine bananas - Philippine Star