The decline in Japan's exports in September slowed down from the previous six months as the auto industry's shipments to the United States began to recover from the low point during the epidemic, suggesting the pressure on the economy caused by the COVID-19 has eased. The slowdown of decline in exports also provides evidence that Japan, the world's third-largest economy, has emerged from the trough of the crisis and has begun to rebound gradually. Japan's official data showed that exports in September fell 4.9% year on year, which was worse than the 2.4% decline estimated by a Reuters poll, but still showed a slower pace of contraction than the double-digit decline in the previous six months, including a 14.8% decline last month. The latest data showed that exports fell for the 22nd month in a row in September, the longest decline since a 23-month decline in July 1987, as exports of steel to Taiwan and ships to Panama were low. In terms of export destinations, Japan's exports to the U.S., a key market, increased by 0.7% in September from a year earlier, due to stronger demand for passenger cars and power equipment. Japan's exports to China, its largest trading partner, increased by 14.0% in September from a year earlier, the third straight month of growth. Japan's exports to Asia fell 2.0% in September from a year earlier, the slowest decline since February. Japan's overall imports fell 17.2% in September from a year earlier, compared with a median estimate of a 21.4% decline. Japan's trade surplus fell to 675 billion yen (US$6.4 billion) in September, below a median estimate of 989.8 billion yen by Reuters.