Japan's exports expand 2.8% in December, faster-than-expected

Data suggests companies front-loaded shipments ahead of Trump taking office

20250123 Containers at a port  in Tokyo

Japan's exports rose 2.8% in December from a year earlier, data showed on Jan. 23. (Photo by Nanami Sato)

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Japan's exports rose for a third straight month in December, data showed on Thursday, suggesting that companies front-loaded shipments ahead of potentially hefty tariffs promised by new U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump has signalled plans to deploy tariffs on imports from major trading partners China, Canada and Mexico, raising fears that increasingly protectionist U.S. trade policies could dampen and disrupt global shipments.

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