Japan had a merchandise trade deficit of 203.367 billion yen in May, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday.
That missed forecasts for a surplus of 43.3 billion yen following the 481.7 billion yen surplus in April.
Exports were up 14.9 percent on year, shy of expectations for a gain of 16.0 percent following the 7.5 percent gain in the previous month.
Imports climbed an annual 17.8 percent versus expectations for 14.5 percent and up from 15.1 percent a month earlier.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.