Exports fell less than economists expected as the decline in auto shipments slowed, government data showed Thursday, underscoring the economic recovery from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Exports decreased 1.6 percent in June from a year earlier, the slowest fall in four months and following a 10.3 percent drop in May, the Finance Ministry said. The median estimate of 27 economists in a survey was for a 4.1 percent decline.
Shipments are recovering as manufacturers such as Toyota Motor Corp. restore production damaged by the record quake. Still, export growth may be threatened by the yen's gain to a four-month high against the dollar, a U.S. economic deceleration and fallout from the European sovereign debt crisis.