Japan's exports in April fell 1.7 percent from the same month last year -- the first fall since July 1995 -- because of a decline in exports to economically battered parts of Asia.
But a sharper plunge in imports, due to the sluggish domestic economy, pushed the trade surplus up 52.6 percent from April 1997 to 1.23 trillion yen, according to preliminary figures on a customs clearance basis released Wednesday.
It was the 13th straight month in which the trade surplus has recorded a year-on-year increase, according to the Finance Ministry. The trend will remain for the time being, but the rate of increase is likely to slow down, a ministry official said. He was referring to a continued decrease in exports to Asia and an expected increase in imports following the implementation of Japan's 16.65 trillion yen stimulus package.