The current account surplus plunged 76.1 percent to ¥187.4 billion in April compared with the previous year, but the balance stayed in the black for a third consecutive month as the travel figure became a surplus for the first time in about 44 years, government data said Monday.
The current account balance — one of the widest gauges of international trade — was the lowest seen in April since the ¥137.6 billion logged in 1982 as a surge in fossil fuel imports and the sliding yen boosted the trade deficit, the Finance Ministry said.
Imports rose 6.6 percent to ¥6.76 trillion against a backdrop of rising demand for liquefied natural gas, while exports rose 6.2 percent to ¥5.98 trillion on shipments of automobiles and optical instruments, the ministry said in the preliminary report.