Japan’s exports have fallen for a second month as the U.S.’ tariff campaign continued to weigh on trade, further raising the risk of a technical recession after the economy contracted at the start of the year.
Exports measured by value dropped 0.5% in June from a year earlier, led by cars and steel, the Finance Ministry reported Thursday. That missed the median analyst estimate of a 0.5% increase, and appeared to reflect the impact from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Imports eked out a gain of 0.2%. Japan’s trade balance returned to a surplus for the first time in three months, at ¥153.1 billion ($1 billion).
