The current account surplus expanded in the January-June period to its highest level since 2007 as earnings from foreign investments moved further into the black offset a rise in energy prices that made imports more expensive, government data showed Tuesday.
Marking the largest figure since the 2008 financial crisis, the surplus came to ¥10.51 trillion in the six months through June, up 0.3 percent from a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said in its preliminary report.
The current account balance is one of the widest gauges of international trade for a nation. The latest surplus was the largest for a half-year period since the ¥12.25 trillion logged through the second half of 2007.