(Adds economist's quote, details on exports to China) * Feb exports +2.4 pct yr/yr vs f'cast +0.3 pct * Imports -3.6 pct, trade gap narrows to 424.6 bln yen * Temporary slowdown in exports due to Lunar New Year * Economists remain confident global demand to pick up By Stanley White TOKYO, March 18 (Reuters) - Japan's export growth slowed sharply in February after surging in the previous month thanks to the timing of the Lunar New Year, but analysts expect strong demand from the United States to boost shipments and help the economy step up the pace.
Exports rose 2.4 percent in February from a year earlier, and was ahead of the 0.3 percent annual increase expected by economists in a Reuters poll. It followed a 17.0 percent year-on-year rise in January, which was the fastest growth since November 2013.
Policymakers are keen to see Japan's export engine in good heart as it's an important driver of corporate earnings, which should eventually translate into higher salaries for workers and help the economy break out of years of deflation.
"This slowdown is a temporary phenomenon related to the Lunar New Year, and I see no change to the overall trend that exports will continue to recover," said Hidenobu Tokuda, senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute.
"Exports have already contributed a lot to supporting production. Even if this support weakens in the short term, in the long run this will benefits the overall economy." Exports to China, Japan's largest trading partner, tumbled 17.3 percent on-year in February due to lower shipments of cars and car parts, Ministry of Finance data showed on Wednesday.
That was a dramatic reversal from the 20.8 percent annual increase in January as demand surged before the Lunar New Year.
Exports to Asia fell an annual 1.1 percent, the first decline since August.
Shipments to the United States rose 14.3 percent in the year to February as exports of cars, car parts and construction equipment rose. While that was slower than a 16.5 percent annual increase in January, the overall rate of growth suggested still-strong demand from the world's biggest economy.
Imports fell 3.6 percent in the year to February, which resulted in a trade deficit of 424.6 billion yen ($3.5 billion), less than a median estimate of a 1.05 trillion yen deficit.
Strong external demand is seen as key to bolstering an economy that is emerging from a recession, and helping to generate enough inflation to meet the Bank of Japan's 2 percent price goal.
On Tuesday, the BOJ left its massive quantitative easing programme unchanged.