TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japan’s exports to the United States in October fell 3.1% from a year earlier to 1.75 trillion yen ($11.1 billion), marking the seventh consecutive monthly decline, as higher tariffs continued to weigh on car shipments, government data showed Friday.
The trade surplus with the United States shrank 33.6% to 529.4 billion yen, as imports climbed 20.9% to 1.22 trillion yen, driven by airplane purchases, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.
Tokyo and Washington agreed in July to lower vehicle duties to 15% from 27.5% imposed earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump, with the new rate taking effect in mid-September. The figure, however, is still six times that of the 2.5% tariff prior to April.
Japan’s U.S.-bound car exports dropped 7.5% in value terms.
Globally, Japan logged a trade deficit of 231.8 billion yen, down 53.6% from the previous year, as exports grew partly due to semiconductor shipments.
Exports rose 3.6% to 9.77 trillion yen, marking the second straight month of gain, while imports edged up 0.7% to 10.0 trillion yen, also up for the second consecutive month.
With China, Japan remained in the red for the 55th consecutive month, logging a deficit of 766.5 billion yen.
The latest trade data was initially scheduled for release on Wednesday, but was delayed after some customs data failed to transfer following a system update last month.