Japan Trade Gap Widens More than Expected

Japan reported a trade deficit of JPY 412.39 billion in March 2022, compared with market consensus of a gap of JPY 100.8 billion and reversing from a surplus of JPY 615.63 billion in the same month a year earlier.

The latest figure marked the eighth straight month of trade shortfall, as exports grew by 14.7% yoy to JPY 8,460.9 billion while imports jumped 31.2% to JPY 8,873.3 billion.

Considering the first three month of the year, Japan posted a trade deficit of JPY 3,274.2 billion, compared to a surplus of JPY 464.4 billion in the corresponding period of 2021.