Japan ran a trade surplus of ¥113.36 billion in November amid strong exports to Asia — staying in the black for the sixth straight month — but the figure shrank from a year earlier as energy imports jumped, according to government data released Monday.
Robust exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China and cars to the United States helped lift overall overseas figures by 16.2 percent to ¥6.92 trillion, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report. Imports rose 17.2 percent to ¥6.81 trillion, reflecting a 28.3 percent increase to ¥634 billion in the value of crude oil imports.
In November, Asia-bound exports surged 20.4 percent to ¥3.89 trillion, setting a record for that month. The surplus with Asia came to ¥439.19 billion as imports rose 19.7 percent to ¥3.46 trillion.