Japan's Current Account Surplus Hits Record High for May

   Tokyo, July 8 (Jiji Press)--Japan posted a current account surplus of 3,436.4 billion yen in May, the highest level for the month, thanks partly to a lower trade deficit reflecting falls in the prices of natural resources from abroad, Finance Ministry data showed Tuesday.
   The current account balance, the broadest indicator of a country's international trade and investment flows, was in the black for the fourth consecutive month.
   The trade deficit stood at 522.3 billion yen, smaller than 1,098 billion yen a year earlier. Exports declined 1.4 pct to 8,034.4 billion yen due to drops in automobile and steel shipments. Imports also fell, by 7.5 pct to 8,556.8 billion yen, because of lower crude oil and coal prices.
   The surplus in the primary income account, which mainly covers Japanese companies' dividend and interest receipts from abroad, was down 2.7 pct at 4,255.5 billion yen. Net profits from securities investment shrank due to lower bond interest income amid the yen's appreciation and falling foreign interest rates.
   Services trade resulted in 201.1 billion yen in surplus, a turnaround from the year-before deficit of 51.6 billion yen. An increase in inbound visitors led the travel balance to record the largest surplus for May.

(2025/07/08-13:46)

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