Japan trade surges in July on strong demand in China, US

          TOKYO (AP) — Japan's exports and imports rose at a fast clip in July, reflecting a recovery in demand in China, Southeast Asia and the U.S., though export prices rose faster than volumes for many products.Exports rose more than 13 percent from a year earlier to 6.5 trillion yen ($59 billion) while imports jumped 16 percent to 6.1 trillion yen($55billion), helped by a surge in oil and coal shipments, according to data released Thursday.The resulting trade surplus slipped 17 percent from a year earlier to 419 billion yen ($3.8 billion).Trade actually dragged on growth in the world's third-largest economy in the April-June quarter but likely will provide a slight boost for the year, Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economic said in a commentary.