Japan Exports Increase Less Than Forecast in Headwind to Abe

Japan’s exports rose less than forecast in November, underlining challenges to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s efforts to steer the economy out of recession.

Overseas shipments rose 4.9 percent from a year earlier, the finance ministry said, below the median estimate for a 7 percent gain in a Bloomberg News survey and less than October’s 9.6 percent increase. Imports slid 1.7 percent, leaving a trade deficit of 892 billion yen ($7.6 billion).