By DPA,
Tokyo : Japan’s current-account surplus climbed 76.9 percent in November from a year earlier to 1.1 trillion yen ($12 billion), due to a steady rise in exports to other Asian countries, the finance ministry said Tuesday.
The trade surplus stood at 490.6 billion yen, compared with a deficit of 92.2 billion yen a year earlier.
The balance of trade in goods and services bounced back to a surplus of 439.5 billion yen, from a deficit of 142.0 billion yen a year before, the ministry’s preliminary report said.
Exports were down 7 percent to 4.7 trillion yen for the 14th straight month of decline. But exports to other Asian countries rose 4.7 percent in November for the first time in 14 months, according to the ministry’s separate report released in December.
Imports dropped 18.2 percent to 4.21 trillion yen, the 13th consecutive monthly decrease.