Japan's customs-cleared trade surplus was 836.7 billion yen in April, up 26.6 percent from a year earlier and marking its second consecutive month of growth, due primarily to brisk exports to other parts of Asia, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report released Thursday.

Exports increased 1.6 percent to 4.4 trillion yen, up for the first time in 13 months, while imports fell 2.9 percent to 3.56 trillion yen, down for the ninth straight month, the ministry said.

Exports of automobiles and steel were brisk, but those of information technology products remained sluggish.