Trade Surplus Rises 4th Month in Row in May
11:06 JST, July 11, 2023
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan posted a current account surplus of ¥1.86 trillion in May, up 2.4-fold from a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
The fourth straight monthly surplus came as the country’s trade deficit shrank after a recent surge in commodity prices came to a halt.
The May result was nearly in line with the median forecast of a surplus of ¥1.87 trillion in a Jiji Press poll of 17 economic research institutes. In goods trade, the deficit shrank to ¥1.19 trillion from ¥1.94 trillion in May.
Imports fell 10.2% to ¥8.43 trillion, down for the second straight month, due chiefly to a fall in crude oil prices. Exports fell 2.8% to ¥7.24 trillion, down for the first time in 27 months, amid China’s economic slowdown.
In services trade, the monthly deficit widened to ¥240.9 billion from ¥181.9 billion.
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