Japan's trade deficit halves in 1st half of 2024 on strong exports

Japan's trade deficit in the first six months of 2024 more than halved from a year earlier to 3.23 trillion yen ($21 billion), as continued export growth helped to counter inflated import costs amid the yen's sharp decline, government data showed Thursday.Exports increased 8.8 percent to 51.52 trillion yen, the third highest amount on record, as shipments of U.S.-bound cars and chip-related machinery to China were robust. Imports, meanwhile, rose 0.8 percent to 54.75 trillion yen.In June, Japan's exports marked the seventh straight monthly increase, helping the nation post its first trade s…READ FULL ARTICLE