Japan's shipments fell 7.4 per cent from a year earlier in June to 6 trillion yen (56.4 billion dollars) for the ninth straight month of decline due mainly to a stronger yen and slow growth in China, the government said Monday, according to dpa. Japan's exports to China, the country's largest trading partner, dropped 10 per cent from a year earlier to 1 trillion yen with shipments of organic chemicals down 31 per cent and those of scientific and optical instruments falling 26.2 per cent, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report. Exports to the United States fell 6.5 per cent to 1.2 trillion yen with vehicle shipments declining 6.7 per cent, the ministry said. The Japanese yen has climbed about 12 per cent against the dollar since the start of this year. The appreciation of the currency makes Japanese exports less competitive overseas and erodes repatriated revenues. Japan's overall imports were down 18.8 per cent to 5.3 trillion yen in June due mainly to falling oil prices and sluggish domestic consumption.