Japan's current account surplus plunged 62.4 percent in October, marking its eighth consecutive decline as exports slowed and led to a trade deficit, driven by global economic uncertainties linked to the sovereign debt crisis in Europe.
The surplus in the balance of international payments — an indicator considered the widest gauge of trade for a nation — came in at ¥562.4 billion, compared with ¥1.495 trillion in October the year before, the Finance Ministry said in the preliminary report.