The nation's trade surplus rose 10.3 percent in April from a year earlier to 1.14 trillion yen as exports outpaced imports, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.

Exports, such as automobiles for the United States and semiconductors for the rest of Asia, outpaced imports despite a continued surge in import oil prices.

The politically sensitive trade surplus with the U.S. jumped 26.2 percent for the third consecutive month of year-on-year increase.