TOKYO, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) — Japan’s exports rose 11.9 percent from a year earlier to 7.33 trillion yen (48.87 billion U.S. dollars) in January, marking the second straight month of growth, government data showed Wednesday.
The robust overseas shipments helped the country halve its monthly trade deficit from a year earlier to 1.76 trillion yen, according to preliminary data from the Ministry of Finance.
China-bound shipments grew 29.2 percent, while exports to the United States and the European Union increased 15.6 percent and 13.8 percent, respectively.
Overall imports fell 9.6 percent to 9.09 trillion yen, as imports of coal and liquefied natural gas fell by double digits, the data showed.
The country posted a record 3.51 trillion yen trade deficit in January 2023, due to massive imports inflated by a weak yen. (1 Japanese yen equals 0.0067 U.S. dollars)
