Japan's merchandise trade surplus for the first half of 2005 shrank 26.4 percent from the previous year to 4.53 trillion, yen the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
This shrinkage was attributed primarily to record-high crude oil prices, which boosted the value of imports by 11 percent.
Exports rose 4.1 percent from the same period of 2004 to 30.82 trillion, yen amid strong steel sales to the rest of Asia and auto sales to the U.S., according to the ministry's preliminary report.