TOKYO, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan's current account surplus in the first half (H1) of 2023 rose 11.1 percent from a year earlier to 8.01 trillion yen (about 56 billion U.S. dollars), marking the first half-year surplus expansion since the first half of 2021, government data showed Tuesday.
The improvement is mainly attributable to a smaller trade deficit owing to a pause in the surge in resource prices and record foreign investment returns aided by a weaker yen.
In June alone, Japan's surplus in the current account roughly tripled from a year earlier to 1.51 trillion yen, as the country's trade balance in the month recorded a surplus for the first time since October 2021, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.
In the January-June period, Japan's customs-cleared trade deficit narrowed 8.3 percent to 5.18 trillion yen, as import growth slowed while automobile exports grew, said the report.
Imports rose 0.9 percent to 52.58 trillion yen, in line with the easing of crude oil prices in yen terms, while exports grew 2.0 percent to 47.40 trillion yen, it added. (1 yen equals 0.0070 U.S. dollars) ■
