Japan's exports fell for the second straight month in November, hit by faltering demand from Asia and Europe.
Exports shrank 4.5 percent from a year earlier to 5.198 trillion yen ($66.7 billion), according to a finance ministry report released Wednesday. The result is steeper than October's 3.8 percent decline.
The data underscore the growing pressures facing the world's third-largest economy, which relies heavily on exports to drive growth. A persistently strong yen, Europe's debt problems and the recent flooding in Thailand are eroding gains made since the March earthquake in Japan disrupted manufacturing.
Economists predict economic growth will slow this quarter after the economy expanded at an annualized rate of 5.6 percent in the July-September period. (AP)
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