올해 일본 수출 연속 마이너스 기록..한국 수출규제로 인한 하반기 수출악화 우려 발생

Japanese exports are faltering... due to slow global growth and falling outbound shipments to China.
There are also concerns that Tokyo's recent trade restrictions on Korea could worsen Japan's situation.
Seo Eunkyung help us look beyond the digits.
Japanese exports remained sluggish in May,... falling for the sixth-consecutive month.
According to the Korea International Trade Association on Tuesday,... Japan's outbound shipments were tallied at roughly 54 billion U.S. dollars in May,... down nearly eight percent on-year.
Tokyo's exports have been on a steady downward trajectory... since December of last year.
Although the country started the year off strong in 2018... with a 12-point-3 percent on-year surge in exports in January,... the figure dropped to minus 3-point-9 percent by December.
The downward trend has persisted in the new calendar year as well. Exports slumped 8-point 4 percent in January 2019, leading up to a 7-point-8 percent fall in the month of May.
A senior researcher at the Korea International Trade Association said... that sluggish sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, wireless devices and electronic components... have largely contributed to Japan's ailing exports.
The share of Japanese exports in world trade is shrinking as well.
Japanese exports accounted for 5-point-1 percent of the global volume in 2010,... but they have fallen short of the 5 percent mark for nearly a decade.
In 2016, the country's share of world trade hit 4-point-zero-7 percent,... further dwindling to 3-point-99 percent in 2017... and 3-point-75 percent last year.
Dark clouds are looming over its export forecast for the second half of the year as well,... due to Japan's trade spat with Korea, its third-largest trading partner.
On July 4th,... Tokyo slapped new export curbs on semiconductor-related materials bound for South Korea.
Analysts point out that Japan's export restrictions may be a self-harming measure.
"Japan's decision will initially have a negative impact on South Korean exports. But eventually, their decision will end up hurting both countries because Japan would have a hard time obtaining components for their electronic goods."
The researcher emphasized that Korean-made semiconductors are essential... in the production of Japanese electronics,... with Korea commanding a 60 percent share of the global chip market.
Seo Eunkyung, Arirang News.