Led by brisk exports to the rest of Asia, the country's merchandise trade surplus soared 80.3 percent in July from a year earlier to 752 billion yen, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the Finance Ministry.

The customs-cleared merchandise trade surplus -- exports minus imports -- in July marked year-on-year growth for the fifth consecutive month, according to the ministry.

Exports increased 8.9 percent to 4.4 trillion yen, up for the fourth consecutive month, while imports increased a slight 0.6 percent to 3.64 trillion yen, marking the first increase in 12 months.