Japan exports up 9.1 percent, trade surplus falls in November

TOKYO - Japanese exports rose 9.1 percent in November from a year earlier to 5.44 trillion yen ($64.9 billion), the government said Wednesday.

The rise was the 12th consecutive monthly increase, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.

Japan’s imports climbed 14.2 percent to 5.28 trillion yen, leaving the country’s trade surplus at 162.8 billion yen. The surplus was down 55.4 percent from a year earlier, the first decline in three months.