Japan's exports to the United States, its largest single trading partner, fell nearly 2% in April as tariff hikes imposed by President Donald Trump hit home.

Japan's export growth slowed in April, weighed by a decline in shipments to the U.S. as businesses in the world's fourth-largest economy braced for the hit to a fragile economic recovery from President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Japanese exports rose 2 per cent in April from a year earlier but shipments to the U.S. fell, data showed on Wednesday, highlighting the toll President Donald Trump's tariffs could take on the fragile economic recovery.