Japan April trade deficit halves, imports fall for 1st time in 2 yrs
Kyodo -- May 19
Japan's trade deficit nearly halved to a one-year low of 432.41 billion yen ($3 billion) in April, as imports dropped for the first time in 27 months on lower crude oil prices, while U.S.-bound auto shipments delivered record exports, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
Surging energy imports kept resource-poor Japan deeply in the red, with a weaker yen inflating their value. For April, total imports fell 2.3 percent to 8.72 trillion yen, dragged down by crude oil and liquefied natural gas.
Exports, meanwhile, gained 2.6 percent to 8.29 trillion yen, the largest-ever for April. The increase came despite growing concerns about slowdowns in the U.S. and European economies. ...continue reading
May 19 (ANNnewsCH) - 財務省が発表した先月の貿易収支は、原油価格の高騰などが収まってきたことで、赤字額が4000億円余りに縮小しました。 ...continue reading

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News On Japan - Nov 24
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NHK - Nov 24
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acs.org - Nov 23
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