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.

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.

Growth in Japan’s exports slowed as the US ramped up its tariff measures, highlighting the risks the country faces after its economy already contracted before the levies began hitting in earnest.Most Read from BloombergCan Frank Gehry’s ‘Grand LA’ Make Downtown Feel Like a Neighborhood?