Japan's customs-cleared trade surplus for July climbed 69.7 percent from a year earlier to 849.1 billion yen, the fourth straight month of increase, according to provisional figures released Aug. 18 by the Finance Ministry.

Ministry officials said the 2 percentage point hike in the consumption tax in April continues to affect the trade figures for automobiles and clothing.

Exports for the month grew 12.1 percent from July last year to 4.29 trillion yen, marking the 24th straight month of increase.