Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, issues data on trade in goods and services and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows between the EU and Japan, with the occasion of the 20th European Union - Japan summit. Between 2000 and 2010, EU27 exports of goods to Japan fell slightly in value from €45 billions to €44 billions, and EU27 imports from Japan decreased by 30%, from €92 billions to €65 billions.

In 2010, Japan accounted for 3% of EU27 exports and 4% of EU27 imports, and was the EU27's sixth most important trading partner. However, over the last few years, EU27 trade with Japan has followed the same broad pattern as the total extra-EU27 trade, with a significant fall in trade value between 2008 and 2009 and a renewed growth in 2010. EU27 exports to Japan were up by 21% and imports by 14% in 2010 compared with 2009. In 2008, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson called for more EU investment in Japan, bearing in mind the collected data.

With regard to the products, nearly a third of EU27 exports to Japan in 2010 were machinery and vehicles, while chemicals and other manufactured articles each accounted for around a quarter of exports. At the detailed level, the main EU27 exports to Japan were medicine, motor cars and pork meat, while the main imports were printers and parts, motor cars and digital cameras. Machinery and vehicles accounted for more than two thirds of imports and other manufactured articles for almost a fifth.

Among the EU27 Member States, Germany was by far the largest exporter to Japan in 2010, followed by France, the United Kingdom and Italy. Germany was also the largest importer, followed by the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, most Member States recorded trade deficits with Japan in 2010. The largest were observed in the Netherlands followed by Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Spain. The highest surpluses were registered in Denmark, Ireland and France.