Japan had a merchandise trade deficit of 55.286 billion yen in December, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.
That missed expectations for a deficit of 35.3 billion yen following the 737.7 billion yen shortfall in November.
Exports were down 3.8 percent on year to 7.023 trillion yen - shy of forecasts for a decline of 1.9 percent following the 0.1 percent gain in the previous month.
Exports to all of Asia fell 6.9 percent on year to 3.828 trillion yen, while exports to China alone skidded 7.0 percent to 1.402 trillion yen.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.