TOKYO, 11th November, 2024 (WAM) -- Japan posted a record 15.82 trillion yen ($103 billion) current account surplus in the first half of fiscal 2024, boosted by increased returns on foreign investments amid a weaker yen, government data showed Monday.
In the April-September period, the surplus in the current account balance, one of the widest gauges of international trade, expanded 12.3 percent from a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.
Of the total, primary income, which reflects how much Japan earned from investments overseas, logged a 22.12 trillion yen surplus, up 13.3 percent, buoyed by rising stock dividends and bond yields abroad, Kyodo News quoted the ministry as saying.
Japan's goods trade deficit came to 2.41 trillion yen, up 86.8 percent, as exports rose 5.0 percent to 52.22 trillion yen and imports expanded 7.1 percent to 54.64 trillion yen.
In September alone, Japan had a current account surplus of 1.72 trillion yen, remaining in the black for the 20th straight month.
It registered a trade deficit of 315.2 billion yen as exports declined 4.5 percent to 8.70 trillion yen while imports increased 3.2 percent to 9.01 trillion yen.
Primary income surplus in the reporting month declined 14.4 percent to 2.77 trillion yen.