Japan's exports to China fell 9.4% from a year earlier, reflecting lower demand as the economy slows amid a trade war with the U.S. over Beijing's technology ambitions.
Gross domestic product expanded an annualized 2.1%, but the biggest driver was imports falling even faster than exports, which meant that net exports technically fueled growth in the economy. Declining imports is a sign of weakness in demand, so the GDP figure is somewhat misleading.