Key Points:
- Exports rose 40.4 percent in April from a year earlier, exceeding economists' median forecast for a 38.9 percent rise.
- Exports to Asia, which account for more than half of Japan's total exports, jumped 45.3 percent from a year earlier.
- Exports to China rose 41.4 percent from a year earlier, while exports to the United States gained an annual 34.5 percent.
- The trade balance came to a surplus of 742.3 billion yen ($8.25 billion), against the median estimate for a 709.3 billion yen surplus. (Reuters)