Japan had a merchandise trade deficit of 40.7 billion yen in May, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday.
That missed forecasts for a surplus of 70.0 billion yen following the 823.5 billion yen surplus in April.
Exports were down 11.3 percent on year, missing forecasts for a fall of 10.0 percent following the 10.1 percent decline in the previous month.
Imports skidded an annual 13.8 percent - matching forecasts after plummeting 23.3 percent a month earlier.
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May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.