TOKYO, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan posted a current account surplus of 3.97 trillion yen (around 24.4 billion U.S. dollars) in May, government data showed Wednesday.
The surplus rose 19.5 percent from a year earlier, driven by strong exports of semiconductor-related devices and automobiles, as well as higher returns on securities held by financial institutions and other companies, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.
Primary income, which reflects earnings from Japan's overseas investments, rose 2.3 percent from a year earlier to 4.28 trillion yen.
Among other key components, the goods trade balance registered a surplus of 6.9 billion yen, compared with a deficit of 497.1 billion yen in the previous year. Breaking it down, exports increased 14.7 percent to 9.36 trillion yen, and imports gained 8.1 percent to 9.35 trillion yen.
The current account balance is one of the widest gauges of international trade. (1 Japanese yen equals about 0.0062 U.S. dollars) ■
