TOKYO — Japan's export growth slowed sharply in August as shipments to the US dropped for the first time in three years, while machinery orders unexpectedly shrank in July in a worrying sign for an economy struggling to mount a solid recovery.

The frail external demand undermines Japan's quest to drive sustainable economic growth, analysts say, especially given a growing risk of a slowdown in the United States and further weakness in China's economy, two major trading partners.

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