Japanese exports hit 7-year low

Japan's exports declined at the fastest pace in almost seven years in October as the intensifying global financial crisis stifled sales of cars and electronics.

Exports, the main engine of Japan's economic growth in the past six years, fell 7.7 percent from a year earlier, the biggest drop since December 2001, the Finance Ministry said yesterday in Tokyo.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News predicted an 8 percent drop.