Japan\u2019s exports extended their recent run in December, but a sharp fall in US-bound shipments and stronger imports narrowed the trade surplus. <\/p>\n
The data is here:<\/p>\n
Adding more now. <\/p>\n
Summary:<\/p>\n
Japan exports rise for fourth straight month<\/p>\n
December growth misses forecasts at 5.1% y\/y<\/p>\n
US-bound shipments fall sharply<\/p>\n
Imports jump, narrowing trade surplus<\/p>\n
BOJ remains alert to inflation risks<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s exports rose for a fourth consecutive month in December, supported by a weaker yen and solid demand outside the United States, though the headline gain fell short of market expectations and masked a sharp drop in US-bound shipments.<\/p>\n
Government data showed export values increased 5.1% year-on-year in December, easing from a 6.1% rise in November and undershooting the median forecast for a 6.1% gain. The latest figures nonetheless extend a run of monthly increases, highlighting the continued support provided by currency depreciation and resilient overseas demand.<\/p>\n
The regional breakdown was mixed. Exports to the United States fell 11.1% y\/y, reflecting softer US demand and the lagged effects of trade policy uncertainty. In contrast, shipments to China rose 5.6% y\/y, helping to offset weakness elsewhere and reinforcing signs of stabilisation in regional trade flows. Officials also pointed to the weaker yen as a key factor boosting export values, improving price competitiveness for Japanese manufacturers.<\/p>\n
Imports grew 5.3% y\/y, comfortably exceeding expectations for a 3.6% rise, signalling firmer domestic demand and higher input costs. As a result, Japan recorded a trade surplus of \u00a5105.7 billion, significantly smaller than forecasts for a surplus of around \u00a5356.6 billion.<\/p>\n
Overall export performance in recent months has been underpinned by a combination of yen depreciation, a still-firm US economy earlier in the quarter, and the September trade agreement with Washington that established a baseline 15% tariff on most goods. While US-bound exports weakened in December, the broader impact from US tariffs has so far proven milder than initially feared.<\/p>\n
Reflecting easing trade concerns and improved momentum, the government recently revised up its economic growth forecast for the fiscal year ending in March to 1.1%, from 0.7%. Against this backdrop, the Bank of Japan raised its policy rate to 0.75% in December, the highest level in three decades, and is widely expected to reaffirm its readiness for further tightening as yen weakness and wage dynamics keep inflation risks in focus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Japan\u2019s exports extended their recent run in December, but a sharp fall in US-bound shipments and stronger imports…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":425440,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[45,49,48,46,177807],"class_list":{"0":"post-425439","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-economy","12":"tag-japan-export-momentum-extends"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425439"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425439\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}