The nation posted a current account surplus for the 17th consecutive month in November, providing support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to boost the world's third-largest economy.
The excess in the widest measure of the nation's trade was ¥1.14 trillion in November, up from ¥440.2 billion a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday in Tokyo. The median estimate of 23 economists surveyed by Bloomberg was for a surplus of ¥895 billion.
The surplus was supported by a rise in income from investments abroad by Japanese companies as well as a gain in services, which came with an influx of tourists after the yen weakened. The boost helps an economy that has been hurt by a slowdown in exports, including to China, Japan's biggest trading partner.