TOKYO, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Japan logged a trade deficit of 1.01 trillion yen (about 6.2 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of this year, government data showed Wednesday.
Exports climbed 13.7 percent to 60.66 trillion yen in the first six months from a year earlier on robust shipments of semiconductors and other electronic devices, as well as autos, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.
Meanwhile, imports rose 10.7 percent to 61.67 trillion yen, reflecting rises in nonferrous metals and smartphones, the report said.
During the reporting period, crude oil imports from the Middle East dropped 26.4 percent to 47.31 million kiloliters, as Japan rushed to secure fuel from alternative suppliers following the U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran in late February.
For June alone, Japan posted a trade deficit of 406.9 billion yen compared with a revised deficit of 391.8 billion yen in May, as the weak yen inflated the value of imports and the Middle East crisis made oil more expensive, according to the ministry. (1 Japanese yen equals about 0.0061 U.S. dollars) ■
