Japan's current account surplus up 4.0pc in 2019


FE Team | Published: February 10, 2020 12:16:15 | Updated: February 29, 2020 12:01:18


File photo (Collected)

Japan's current account surplus increased 4.4 per cent in 2019 compared to a year earlier to reach 20.06 trillion yen (183 billion US dollars), up for the first time in two years, government statistics revealed Monday.

In December alone, the country logged a current account surplus of 524.0 billion yen ($4.77 billion), marking the 66th straight month of black ink, said a preliminary report released by the Finance Ministry.

In December, Japan had a goods trade surplus of 120.7 billion yen ($1.10 billion) and a services trade surplus of 24.5 billion yen ($220 million), while primary income registered a surplus of 400.1 billion yen ($3.64 billion), reports Xinhua.

In 2019, the surplus in goods trade stood at 553.6 billion yen ($5.04 billion), down 53.8 per cent compared to 2018, as exports slid 6.3 per cent to 76.12 trillion yen ($690 billion) and imports shrinking 5.6 per cent to 75.56 trillion yen ($690 billion).

Meanwhile, primary income, which reflects overseas investments returns, saw a 20.72 trillion yen ($190 billion) surplus.

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