Trade between Japan and China in the first half of 2002 totaled $45.12 billion, up 3.4 percent from a year earlier, the Japan External Trade Organization said Tuesday.

The figure marks the third consecutive first-half record, JETRO said.

While Japanese trade declined worldwide, that with China grew 1.7 percentage points. China now accounts for 12.8 percent of Japan's total trade, second to the United States.

Japanese exports to China increased for the fourth straight year, rising 11 percent to $17.24 billion. This surge was led by exports of automobiles, steel and metalworking machinery. These exports soared 20.4 percent in yen terms and 20 percent in terms of volume.

Japanese imports from China fell 0.8 percent to $27.88 billion, marking the first decline in dollar terms in four years on a first-half basis.

These imports rose 8 percent in yen terms and 5.2 percent in terms of volume, although import growth rates have fallen, JETRO said.

On a dollar basis, imports of machinery and equipment accounted for 33.9 percent of total first-half imports from China.

This surge was primarily attributed to rising imports of machinery and equipment from Japanese-affiliated firms that have shifted their production to China.

Information technology-related imports also logged a substantial rise, with imports of communications equipment such as mobile phones jumping 97.9 percent.

JETRO said that Japan-China trade for the full year will reach $90 billion for the first time, exceeding the $89.2 billion booked in 2001.