TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s export growth accelerated in August from the previous month supported by stronger shipments to the United States, a sign the escalating trade friction between the Washington and Beijing has yet to hit Japanese trade.
But the rise in exports to the United States could put Tokyo under pressure from President Donald Trump ahead of bilateral trade talks expected later this month, some analysts say.
Japanese policymakers also worry over of the impact on the country’s exports as the United States and China dive deeper into a trade war.
Beijing added $60 billion of U.S. products to its import tariff list in retaliation for Trump’s planned levies on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.
There are few signs of material damage so far.
Japanese exports rose 6.6 percent in August from a year earlier, handily beating a 5.6 percent increase expected by economists in a Reuters poll and exceeding a 3.9 percent gain in July, finance ministry data showed on Wednesday.
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