A fresh wave of potential has emerged for expanding Bangladesh’s readymade garment (RMG) exports to Japan.

In the first quarter (July–September) of the current 2026–27 fiscal year, Bangladesh exported RMG products worth $343.65 million to Japan.

During this period, Japan's share of Bangladesh’s total RMG exports rose to 3.25 percent, marking a four-year high.

According to data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh’s total RMG exports reached $10.58 billion in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, with exports to Japan accounting for $343.65 million.

This recent surge highlights strong prospects for Bangladesh to expand its footprint in one of the world’s largest apparel-importing markets.

Mohiuddin Rubel, founder and CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Voice (BAV), noted that significant opportunities exist to increase RMG exports to Japan.

He stated that Japan’s massive import capacity, combined with the recent rise in Bangladesh’s share of that market, clearly underscores this potential.

He added that capitalizing on this opportunity would enhance market diversification for Bangladesh’s RMG sector and reduce reliance on traditional export destinations.

RMG exports from Bangladesh to Japan have experienced fluctuations over recent years.

In FY2022–23, exports to Japan stood at $1.15 billion, before declining by 5.8 percent to $1.09 billion in FY2023–24.

The following fiscal year saw a 9.1 percent rebound to $1.19 billion. However, in FY2025–26, exports slipped again by 4.3 percent to $1.13 billion.

Bangladesh’s overall RMG exports also saw a dip last fiscal year.

EPB data indicates that RMG exports declined by 1.6 percent year-on-year in FY2025–26 to $38.70 billion, dropping Japan’s share of total RMG exports to 2.93 percent.

Nonetheless, the uptick recorded in the first quarter of the current fiscal year signals a promising turn for market expansion in Japan.

Import statistics further illustrate the scale of Japan's apparel market.

Data from the International Trade Centre (ITC) shows that Japan imported $24.96 billion worth of apparel between July 2022 and June 2023.

Over the next 12 months, imports dropped by 7.3 percent to $23.14 billion.

Imports then recovered, growing by 3.3 percent to $23.90 billion in FY2024–25 and further by 1.2 percent to $24.19 billion in FY2025–26.

In July and August of this year alone, Japan imported $4.05 billion worth of apparel.

Securing a larger share of this market could significantly boost growth and market diversification for Bangladesh’s garment industry—a prospect strongly supported by the first-quarter performance of the current fiscal year.