As imports climbed, the nation's current-account deficit widened to a record in November, underscoring challenges for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he tries to drive a sustained economic rebound.
The ¥592.8 billion shortfall in the widest measure of trade, reported by the Finance Ministry on Tuesday, was larger than the median forecast of ¥368.9 billion in a Bloomberg News survey of 24 economists. The deficit is the biggest in comparable data dating back to 1985.
Weakness in the yen and extra demand for energy because of nuclear-plant shutdowns are driving up Japan's import bill, highlighting drags on the recovery that will also include a sales tax increase in April. A longer-term risk for the nation is any shift to a sustained deficit that will undermine investor confidence in Japanese government debt.