Japanese Exports Rise for Fifth Consecutive Month in April

Japanese exports expanded for a fifth consecutive month in April, with shipments to China surging as global demand continued to support the nation’s economic recovery.

Exports have driven five consecutive quarters of growth in Japan’s economy, the longest run in a decade. Imports have also picked up, notching the biggest gain in more than three years in March. The swell in trade indicates an increasingly healthy global economy. The outlook for global trade remains unclear, though, after Group of Seven finance chiefs agreed only on watered-down language about avoiding protectionism at their May meeting in Italy.