According to the Finance Ministry, exports for the month stood at JPJ7.18 trillion (US$65.97 billion), marking the fastest pace of increase since April 2010.
The advance in exports marked the second straight month of gains and came on the heels of a 16.1 percent climb logged in March.
The ministry here said that the surge in exports in the reporting period were particularly boosted by robust shipments of semiconductors and related equipment to China as well as solid shipments of car and auto parts to the United States.
Japan's imports in the reporting period, meanwhile, grew 12.8 percent in April to JPY6.93 trillion (US$63.68 billion).
Imports rose for a third successive month, the ministry said, and were helped by rising prices for crude oil. The increase in imports followed a revised 5.8 percent increase in March, the latest data showed.
As a result, the April trade balance booked a surplus of JPY255.32 billion (US$2.34 billion), marking the the third straight month that the figure was in the black.
