Monthly pace of growth for Japan's exports slows

Tokyo

JAPAN'S exports rose in April from a year earlier led by US-bound shipments of cars, but the monthly pace of growth slowed from March - a worrying portent for external demand as a slowdown in the economies of China and the US clouds the outlook.

Ministry of Finance data out on Monday showed exports grew 8.0 per cent year-on-year in April, versus a 6.4 per cent gain seen by economists in a Reuters poll, slowing from a 8.5 per cent gain in March. Compared with March, shipments fell 1.5 per cent in April.