Japan exports fall again as Trump's trade policy threatens economic outlook

Exports grew 7.8 percent in April from the same period a year ago, below the median estimate for an 8.1 percent annual increase expected by economists in a Reuters poll. In March, exports grew an annual 2.1 percent. (A man walks in front of containers and cranes at an industrial port in Tokyo, - Reuters filepic)

TOKYO: Japanese exports contracted for the fifth month in April due to a slump in shipments of chip-making equipment to China, underlining the growing threat to the world's third-biggest economy from a bruising Sino-U.S. trade war.

Data also showed Japan's trade surplus with the United States rose for a second month as auto exports accelerated, which could draw U.S. President Donald Trump's ire before U.S.-Japan trade negotiations begin this week followed by a leaders' summit a few days later.