The Economy

Strong Demand for Autos, Steel Drives Up Japan's Trade Surplus

July 26, 2010

Increased 41.1% in June

Thanks to a steady recovery in exports, Japan's trade surplus for June rose 41.1% from a year earlier, official data showed on July 26.

The surplus reached 687.0 billion yen (US$7.8 billion) in June, marking the 13th straight month of improvement on year-earlier levels.

Exports rose 27.7% to 5.87 trillion yen, the seventh consecutive monthly rise, beating market expectations of a 23.1% increase.

Robust Asian demand for Japanese autos and steel drove the better-than-expected rise in exports, marking the seventh straight monthly increase, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, imports jumped 26.1%, led by crude oil, liquefied natural gas and non-ferrous metals.

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