Japan Exports Jump More Than Forecast, Paring Record Deficit

Japan’s exports rose more than forecast in December, reaching the highest level in six years and paring a record annual trade deficit caused by energy purchases and a surge in imports before April’s sales-tax increase.

Overseas shipments climbed 12.9 percent from a year earlier, the finance ministry reported Monday, compared with the median estimate for a 11.2 percent gain in a Bloomberg News survey. Imports advanced 1.9 percent, leaving a deficit of 660.7 billion yen ($5.6 billion).