Exports were led by U.S.-bound shipments of cars and mining machinery, while China-bound shipments of steel, chips and nonferrous metal caused a double-digit decline in overall exports to China.
"Going forward, it could be hard for Japan to maintain a trade surplus in a stable manner unless exports regain strength and global commodity prices keep import costs low."
The overall trade numbers produced a trade surplus of 43 billion yen ($308.11 million), confounding the median estimate for a 90.1 billion yen deficit.
U.S.-bound shipments, Japan's major ally, rose 11.7% year-on-year in June, led by shipments of cars, construction and mining machinery, following a 9.4% rise in the previous month.
($1 = 139.5600 yen)Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Takeshi Minami, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Shri Navaratnam, Stephen Coates
Organizations:
Ministry of Finance, U.S, Norinchukin Research, Thomson
Locations:
TOKYO, Japan, China, .