The surplus in the current account shrank for the first time in five years in fiscal 2018 to ¥19.41 trillion as China's economic slowdown curbed growth in exports and higher oil prices boosted imports, government data showed Tuesday.
The surplus in the current account, one of the widest gauges of international trade, logged a year-on-year decrease of 12.4 percent in the fiscal year ended in March, according to a preliminary report by the Finance Ministry.
The goods trade surplus tumbled 84.4 percent to ¥706.8 billion on slower growth in exports, becoming the largest driver contributing to the drop in its current account.