CashNews.co
TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japan posted a current account surplus of 3.19 trillion yen ($22.4 billion) in July, a record high for the month, on the back of an increase in foreign investment returns, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
Primary income, such as dividends and interest income, rose to 4.44 trillion yen, the highest for a single month since comparable data became available in 1985.
Japan had a 482.7 billion yen trade deficit, sinking into the red from a surplus of 107.2 billion yen a year earlier, as imports of pharmaceutical products and communication devices increased.
Imports grew 16.8 percent to 9.90 trillion yen, while exports rose 9.7 percent to 9.42 trillion yen.
The current account balance is one of the widest gauges of international trade.