The current account surplus expanded 23.1 percent in August from a year earlier for the third consecutive monthly increase as imports were pushed down by lower crude oil prices and a firmer yen, the government said Tuesday.
The surplus came to ¥2.00 trillion, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report. The nation posted a current account surplus for the 26th straight month.
The current account is one of the widest gauges of a country's international trade.