Japan’s Exports Fall for First Time in Three Months

(Nikkei Asia) — Japanese exports declined for the first time in three months in November from a year earlier due to weak demand from China, preliminary data released Wednesday by the Finance Ministry shows.

The latest trade statistics showed November's exports decreased 0.2% to 8.81 trillion yen ($61 billion). Imports fell 11.9% to 9.59 trillion yen.

Over the past year, strong demand for automobiles and machinery from the U.S. and Europe helped lift Japanese exports, with the weak yen accelerating the growth. But that has been offset by weak demand from China, as Asia's largest economy faces a slow recovery from the Covid pandemic and a slump in real estate sales.