Japanese exports increased 5% in December, the first time since September 2015 they have expanded, and better than the 1% expected by economists. This may be due to Asia region customers importing early ahead of the lunar new year, which China also experienced. Exports to the U.S. by sea jumped 10%, with engine and construction equipment parts climbing 41% and 36% respectively. Auto-parts and printers dropped – the latter may be due to competition from Thai manufacturers.