The nation's current account surplus shrank 54.5 percent in April from a year earlier, while signs are emerging that suggest the pace of decline in exports has become moderate, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
The surplus in the current account, the broadest gauge of Japan's trade with the rest of the world, totaled ¥630.5 billion, the ministry said in a preliminary report. The trade gauge fell for the 14th straight month.
The surplus in merchandise trade dropped 69.2 percent to ¥184.3 billion from a year before, although it narrowed at the slowest pace since last July.