Japan's big three shippers on Friday forecast a return to profit this fiscal year after last year's losses, as they emerge from the worst global slump in the container business.

The brighter outlook comes amid a gradual recovery in prices for shipping containers, which carry 90 percent of the world's manufactured goods.

"Some improvements in the supply and demand environment on Asia-North America, Asia-Europe and Asia-South America routes facilitated a recovery in the spot freight rates," Mitsui OSK said in a release.