Japan’s containers and packaging materials sector is on the upturn with a 2.1% increase in shipment values for the Japanese FY April 2014 to March 2015 period over the previous year. Converted at current exchange rates, shipments of packaging for last year increased to US$46.61 billion (¥ 5,607.8 billion) – a full US$95 million increase over the 2013/14 value of US$45.66 billion (¥5,494.4 billion).

According to data released by the Japan Packaging Institute (JPI), in recent years, Japan’s packaging industry has been suffering from the double impact of a slowdown in growth following the twin impacts of the general global recession and the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 which decimated much of Japan’s industrial eastern seaboard.