Japan’s trade deficit rose to JPY 152.5 billion in December 2019 from JPY 55.7 billion a year earlier and compared with market expectations of JPY 150 billion. Exports fell 6.3% to JPY 6.58 trillion, the thirteenth consecutive month of decline, down from a 7.9% tumble in November but more than an expected 4.2% slump. Meantime, imports slipped 4.9% to JPY 6.73 trillion, after plunging 15.7% in November and compared with market forecasts of a 3.4% fall.
