Japan Exports Up 6.1% in November, Strongest Since February

Japan's exports surged 6.1 percent in November from a year earlier, marking the strongest gain since February and signaling a rebound in global demand despite ongoing trade frictions. The Finance Ministry released the preliminary data on Wednesday, showing shipments to the United States climbing 8.8 percent for the first time in eight months, while exports to the European Union jumped 19.6 percent. Overall, the increase beat economists' expectations of a 5 percent rise and contributed to a trade surplus of 322.3 billion yen, equivalent to about 2.1 billion U.S. dollars.

The uptick in exports was driven primarily by robust demand from key markets in North America and Europe, bolstered by a recent U.S.-Japan trade agreement that eased tariff uncertainties. Under the deal with the Trump administration, the baseline import duty for most products was set at 15 percent, lower than the previously proposed 25 percent rate. This helped lift shipments of passenger cars to the United States by 8 percent in volume, though their value rose only 1.5 percent as automakers absorbed higher costs rather than passing them to consumers. Other strong performers included chemicals, cameras,...