Japan's trade surplus in November posted its first rise in eight months but the growth was marginal with high oil prices keeping the value of imports up, the finance ministry said today.
The surplus edged up a marginal 0.6% from a year earlier to 600.64 billion yen ($5.1 billion), above an average market forecast for a surplus of 594 billion yen. Exports in November rose 14.7% to 5.91 trillion yen while imports expanded 16.6% to 5.31 trillion yen, the ministry said.
Japan's imports of crude oil shot up 52.9% to 879.71 billion yen, while car exports rose 10.9% to 926.96 billion yen.
The trade surplus with Asia turned up 26.6% to 471.08 billion yen, with deficits with China falling 3.8% to 315.91 billion yen to mark the first drop in 13 months on robust exports of machinery and equipment.
With the US, the surplus rose 28.8% to 791.90 billion yen. It was a year-on-year rise for the 10th straight month as car exports surged 22.1%. Japan's surplus with the European Union increased 1% to 226.48 billion yen, the first rise in four months.
