Japan's exports, imports hit record highs in December

Japan's merchandise exports and imports both hit record highs in December on the back of stronger demand for cars and higher energy prices, government data showed Thursday.Exports jumped 17.5 percent from a year earlier to 7.9 trillion yen ($69 billion), up for the 10th straight month, while imports surged 41.1 percent to 8.5 trillion yen, up for the 11th consecutive month, according to preliminary data released by the Finance Ministry.As a result, Japan marked a goods trade deficit of 582.4 billion yen in December, for the fifth straight month of red ink.While the Omicron variant of the co…READ FULL ARTICLE