The current account surplus in August expanded 22.2 percent from the previous year to 1.48 trillion yen, rising for the second consecutive month, as companies exported more and had higher returns on overseas investments, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.

A cheaper yen might also have helped up the surplus, according to analysts. A lower yen makes Japanese products more attractive to foreign buyers and increases earnings from overseas.

The yen traded at an average 115.88 against the dollar in August, 4.7 percent weaker than a year earlier, the ministry said.