Japan logged a current account deficit of ¥507.5 billion in the first half, the biggest for any six-month period on record, government data showed Friday, underscoring its diminishing ability to earn money abroad.

It was also the first time since officials started compiling comparable data in 1985 for the current account balance — one of the widest gauges of international trade for a nation — to slip into the red for January-June, the Finance Ministry said.

Imports jumped 14.7 percent from a year earlier to ¥41.88 trillion on rising imports of liquefied natural gas and crude oil, while exports climbed only 8.1 percent to ¥35.76 trillion, sustained by the weakened yen, the ministry said in the preliminary report.