Japan’s exports edged down for the first time in three months in November, in a fresh sign of pressure on the economy as it struggles to recover from a contraction over the summer.
Exports fell 0.2% from a year earlier as shipments of steel and chipmaking equipment continued to fall, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday. Economists had forecast a 1.4% increase.
Imports dropped 11.9% helped by further falls in the overall value of gas and coal purchases. That compared with the consensus for an 8.6% decline. The trade deficit widened to ¥776.9 billion ($5.4 billion).