"There's a chance for a further monetary easing in July"
- Kiichi Murashima, an economist at the Citigroup unit
Japan's trade deficit widened in April, as energy imports rose and exports of plastic and steel fell. Trade deficit came at 520.3 billion yen, said the Japan's Ministry of Finance on Wednesday.
"If exports stay flat when the effect of the post-quake reconstruction is likely to peak out in the latter half of the year, there's a possibility Japan's economy will fall into a lull," said Kiichi Murashima, an economist at the Citigroup unit said in Tokyo.
"There's a chance for a further monetary easing in July."
Also Wednesday, the Bank of Japan left its key interest rate unchanged at near zero to support growth, as expected.
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