Japan has posted a record high trade deficit for 2012, as exports to Europe and China continued their plunge. Official figures from the Finance Ministry showed Japan's trade shortfall last year totalled 6.9 trillion yen with the deficit in December alone standing at a higher-than-expected 641.5 billion yen. Japan ran a deficit of 139.7 billion yen with the European Union as the debt crisis hurt demand for everything from Japanese televisions to cars. Tokyo's deficit with China doubled to a record 3.52 trillion yen, as a territorial feud and subsequent consumer boycott of Japanese goods hammered demand. One of the reasons is the strength of the yen, which makes products more expensive overseas.