Japan’s trade deficit shrank 7.8 per cent on-year in April, helped by higher exports as well as lower oil imports, new data shows.
Japan logged a deficit of Y808.9 billion ($A8.54 billion) against the year-before shortfall of Y877.4 billion ($A9.26 billion), the finance ministry said.
Exports climbed 5.1 per cent to Y6.07 trillion ($A64.07 billion) on robust shipments of cars and other items.
Imports rose 3.4 per cent to Y6.88 trillion ($A72.62 billion), a much slower rate than high-paced rises seen over more than a year.
Purchases of natural gas remained high to plug the resources-poor country’s energy gap after the 2011 Fukushima crisis forced the shutdown of nuclear reactors, which had supplied a third of the nation’s power.
The yen’s plunge since late 2012 contributed to boosting import bills.
But in April crude oil imports fell 11.2 per cent in reaction to rush demand before a Japanese sales tax hike took effect.
Japanese domestic demand for petrol and other products picked up in the months before the April sales tax hike from 5.0 per cent to 8.0 per cent.