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.