Posted on 25 Mar 2009
Japan announced Wednesday its first trade surplus in 5 months
Japan posted its first trade surplus in five months in February, though the total plunged from a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
The country's trade surplus for the month was 82.4 billion yen ($841 million), down 91.2 percent from last year.
But it broke a run of four straight months in the red, and was an improvement from January's trade deficit of 952.6 billion yen - the biggest negative trade balance since the government began compiling such data in 1979.
Japan had a trade surplus with all major regions during February.
The surplus to the U.S. and Europe shrank from a year earlier, as shipments of cars and car parts continued to fall, and in Asia sales of semiconductor components and steel declined.
It also had a rare trade surplus with China - its first in six months and just the second over the last year - as imports fell, especially clothing and electronics.
Exports to the country also nudged slightly higher from the previous month.
