Japan's exports extended double-digit gains in August, led by strong shipments of chip manufacturing equipment, although the pace of growth weakened as COVID-19 hit key Asian supply chains and slowed factory production. The trade growth is unlikely to dispel worries about the outlook for Japan's economy, which has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels after taking an enormous hit from a collapse in global trade in the first quarter of 2020. Exports rose 26.2 per cent in August compared with the same month a year earlier, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday (Sep 16), marking the sixth straight month of ... (full story)