The nation's trade surplus in fiscal 2001 fell 25.9 percent from the previous term to 7.11 trillion yen, marking the third consecutive year of decline, the Finance Ministry said Monday in a preliminary report.

The decline, the largest since the 30.1 percent fall in fiscal 1996, was due to a global economic slump centered on the information technology sector, which decreased Japan's exports as well as imports, a ministry official said.

Dogged by the global slump, Japan's politically sensitive trade surplus with the United States fell 5.1 percent to 7.14 trillion yen, marking the first drop in five years.