TOKYO, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Japan posted a current account surplus of 941.6 billion yen (about 5.9 billion U.S. dollars) in January, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
The current account balance, one of the widest gauges of international trade, marked a turnaround from a deficit a year earlier, as a jump in exports helped shrink the trade deficit, the ministry said in a preliminary report.
Exports climbed 20.3 percent to 9.04 trillion yen, while imports slid 7.7 percent to 9.64 trillion yen, the ministry said.
The goods trade logged a deficit of 600.4 billion yen, plunging 79.5 percent from the year before.
Among other key components, primary income, including dividends and interest earnings from overseas investments, dropped 22.2 percent to 2.75 trillion yen. ■
