Japan's current account surplus in April plunged 84.2 percent from a year earlier as exports and spending by foreign visitors nosedived due to the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Monday.

The current account, one of the widest gauges of international trade, was ¥262.7 billion in the black, the 70th straight month of surplus but the smallest total since January 2017, according to a preliminary report released by the Finance Ministry.

Exports dropped 23.0 percent to ¥4.91 trillion as demand for cars and auto parts from the United States fell due to the coronavirus lockdown.