Japan's customs-cleared trade with China exceeded its trade with the United States for the first time in fiscal 2004, underlining the interdependence between the two economies, Finance Ministry statistics showed Thursday.

Trade with China, including Hong Kong, totaled 22.71 trillion yen, or about 20 percent of Japan's total trade of 112.09 trillion yen for the full fiscal year, according to the ministry data. Japan's 20.6 trillion yen in trade with the U.S. accounted for 18 percent of all trade.

Exports to China rose 16.1 percent from a year earlier to a record 8.09 trillion yen. Imports from China rose 17.9 percent to a record 10.63 trillion yen.