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As of June 2024, just over ** employees were engaged in the Japanese chemical industry and about ** employees were engaged in the plastic product industry. The chemical industry, including the plastic and rubber product industry, was the third-largest employer of the manufacturing industries in Japan, following the food and transportation machinery industry.

 Chemical trade

In recent years, Japan remained among the largest global consumers of chemicals. While the Japanese chemical industry mostly exported plastic materials, medical products had the largest import value of chemical products. Due to the continued demand for pharmaceutical products from its aging population, Japan was expected to remain one of the most important markets for foreign pharmaceutical companies.

 Impact of COVID-19 on the chemical industry

In 2020, both the production and the consumption of chemical products decreased, when manufacturing ceased worldwide at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As production resumed, figures started to rise again in 2021. Furthermore, the outbreak of the pandemic created a new demand in other areas such as chemical-pharmaceutical markets.
The Japanese government mostly supported the international development and testing of drugs financially rather than developing a COVID-19 vaccine domestically. Even though several nationally developed vaccines are currently in clinical trials, as of March 2022, none have made it to the market yet. Therefore, the country relies on the United States and Europe for its vaccines.