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Exports were seen likely to grow 6.7 percent in March from a
year earlier after they surged 11.3 percent in February, the
poll of 18 analysts showed.
That gain was the most in more than two years and included a
rebound from January's Lunar New Year slowdown.
A recovery in oil prices and a weak yen pushed Japan's imports
up 10.4 percent from a year ago, the fastest increase since
March 2014 when they rose an annual 18.2 percent.
This would result in trade surplus at 575.8 billion yen, a third
straight month of surplus.
"We see exports remaining on a rising trend on the back of
global economic recovery," said Yoshiki Shinke, chief economist
at Dai-ichi Research Institute. "Exports for January-March
likely surpassed that of the previous quarter."
Demand for electronics components from Asian nations likely
continued to bolster Japan's exports, analysts said.
The finance ministry will publish the trade data at 8:50 a.m.
Japan time on Thursday (2350 GMT Wednesday).
Japan and the United States will start an economic dialogue on
April 18, with Tokyo seeking to fend off U.S. pressure to reduce
the bilateral trade imbalance.
The Trump administration's protectionist policy statements have
worried Japanese leaders, given Japan's export-reliant economy.
Discussions at the dialogue next week will focus more on setting
a "framework" for future talks rather than on specific industry
issues, a White House official said.
(Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Eric Meijer)
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