As tariffs change trade patterns and roil global supply chains, corporate Japan is dealing with it the best way it knows how: by getting executives in the air.
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Home carriers Japan Airlines and ANA are reaping the biggest benefits, as increased premium demand for long-haul flights is boosting sales.
Outbound business travel has picked up since US President Donald Trump set out to reshape the global order of commerce with a first salvo of tariffs announced back in April.
The number of Japanese residents travelling to the US on a business visa rose 28 per cent to 30,035 in July from 23,490 in April, according to the International Trade Administration.
Japanese manufacturers are joining peers elsewhere by boosting US investments and reassessing everything from offshore manufacturing to material sourcing in an attempt to mitigate the worst of tariffs.
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Japan’s outbound travel is gaining altitude, with bookings for business and first class seats climbing by the mid-teens from a year earlier, according to Bloomberg Intelligence’s Eric Zhu.