The nation's current account surplus rose 23.8 percent in May from a year earlier to 1.71 trillion yen, increasing for the 11th straight month, mainly due to growing exports to China and other Asian economies, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
The balance of trade in goods and services posted a surplus of 863.7 billion yen, up 28.2 percent, the ministry said in a preliminary report.
The surplus in merchandise trade grew 37.7 percent to 1.13 trillion yen, with exports up 10 percent to 4.5 trillion yen and imports rising 3 percent to 3.36 trillion yen.