Tokyo, Safar 21, 1438, November 21, 2016, SPA -- Japan's exports to the United States fell sharply in October, contributing to a considerable drop in overall shipments, the government said Monday, according to dpa. Japan's overall exports declined 10.3 per cent year-on-year to 5.87 trillion yen (52.9 billion dollars) in October for the 13th straight month of fall, the Finance Ministry in Tokyo said in a preliminary report. Exports to the United States, Japan's second-largest trading partner, dropped 11.2 per cent from a year earlier to nearly 1.2 trillion yen with vehicle shipments down 2.7 per cent and steel exports dropping by 40.2 per cent, the ministry said. Shipments to China, Japan's biggest trading partner, declined 9.2 per cent to 1.07 trillion yen. Japan's imports also dipped, dropping 16.5 per cent to 5.37 trillion yen, mainly due to weak domestic consumption and falling global energy prices. The drop in imports meant Japan ran a trade surplus in October of 496.2 billion yen. --SPA 03:45 LOCAL TIME 00:45 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w273256