diff --git a/src/env.h b/src/env.h
index 4259c82be96a27..60cb1b6d113e7e 100644
--- a/src/env.h
+++ b/src/env.h
@@ -214,6 +214,7 @@ constexpr size_t kFsStatsBufferLength =
   V(done_string, "done")                                                       \
   V(duration_string, "duration")                                               \
   V(emit_warning_string, "emitWarning")                                        \
+  V(empty_object_string, "{}")                                                 \
   V(encoding_string, "encoding")                                               \
   V(entries_string, "entries")                                                 \
   V(entry_type_string, "entryType")                                            \
diff --git a/src/node_file.cc b/src/node_file.cc
index fcb621ea761910..1fcfa89c634955 100644
--- a/src/node_file.cc
+++ b/src/node_file.cc
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 // DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR
 // OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE
 // USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
-
 #include "node_file.h"
 #include "aliased_buffer.h"
 #include "memory_tracker-inl.h"
@@ -787,7 +786,7 @@ static void InternalModuleReadJSON(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
     size == SearchString(&chars[start], size, "\"main\"") &&
     size == SearchString(&chars[start], size, "\"exports\"") &&
     size == SearchString(&chars[start], size, "\"type\""))) {
-    return;
+    args.GetReturnValue().Set(env->empty_object_string());
   } else {
     Local<String> chars_string =
         String::NewFromUtf8(isolate,
diff --git a/test/es-module/test-esm-default-type.mjs b/test/es-module/test-esm-default-type.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..7e63dab3490d04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/es-module/test-esm-default-type.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+// Flags: --experimental-modules
+import '../common/index.mjs';
+import { strictEqual } from 'assert';
+
+import asdf from
+  '../fixtures/es-modules/package-type-module/nested-default-type/module.js';
+
+strictEqual(asdf, 'asdf');
diff --git a/test/fixtures/es-modules/package-type-module/nested-default-type/module.js b/test/fixtures/es-modules/package-type-module/nested-default-type/module.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..683f2d8ba623a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/es-modules/package-type-module/nested-default-type/module.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+module.exports = 'asdf';
diff --git a/test/fixtures/es-modules/package-type-module/nested-default-type/package.json b/test/fixtures/es-modules/package-type-module/nested-default-type/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..0967ef424bce67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/es-modules/package-type-module/nested-default-type/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{}
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-module-binding.js b/test/parallel/test-module-binding.js
index 07c4965f2204f3..d0e122605ddc00 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-module-binding.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-module-binding.js
@@ -8,9 +8,8 @@ const { readFileSync } = require('fs');
 const { strictEqual } = require('assert');
 
 strictEqual(internalModuleReadJSON('nosuchfile'), undefined);
-strictEqual(internalModuleReadJSON(fixtures.path('empty.txt')), undefined);
-strictEqual(internalModuleReadJSON(fixtures.path('empty-with-bom.txt')),
-            undefined);
+strictEqual(internalModuleReadJSON(fixtures.path('empty.txt')), '{}');
+strictEqual(internalModuleReadJSON(fixtures.path('empty-with-bom.txt')), '{}');
 {
   const filename = fixtures.path('require-bin/package.json');
   strictEqual(internalModuleReadJSON(filename), readFileSync(filename, 'utf8'));