Japan's exports surged 43.5 per cent in March from a year earlier to 6 trillion yen (64.6 billion dollars), the Finance Ministry said Thursday, according to dpa. It was the fourth consecutive month of increase as shipments of motor vehicles soared 110.8 per cent, those of auto parts surged 86.1 per cent and semiconductors and electronic components exports rose 55.8 per cent, the ministry said in a preliminary report. Japan's exports to the rest of Asia went up 52.9 per cent to 3.38 trillion yen, making up 56.3 per cent of the nation's total exports, while shipments to the US increased by 29.5 per cent to 862.5 billion yen, 14.4 per cent of the total, the ministry said. Exports to China, Japan's top trade partner, jumped for the fifth consecutive month, with a 47.7-per-cent increase to 1.17 trillion yen as shipments of vehicles surged 184.9 per cent and those of auto parts rose 100.4 per cent, the ministry said. Imports from China were also up 5.5 per cent to 1.02 trillion yen. Shipments to the European Union grew 26.7 per cent to 653.6 billion yen, the fourth straight month of expansion, the ministry said. Japan's total imports rose 20.7 per cent to 5.06 trillion yen, and, as a result, Japan's trade surplus stood at 948.9 billion yen, the ministry said. In the fiscal year 2009 through March 31, Japan's trade balance came to a surplus of 5.23 trillion yen, marking the first surplus in two years, the ministry said. However, both shipments and imports dropped for two years in a row, by 17.1 per cent and 25.2 per cent respectively, the ministry said.
