Japan’s current account surplus shrank due to increase in its imports of energy after the disastrous tsunami and earthquake that resulted in the closure of all of Japan’s nuclear reactors.
The disaster combined with the weak global demand is hurting the recovery in Japanese exports.
The current account measures trade in goods, services, tourism and investment. It looks at income from foreign sources against payments on foreign obligations.
The surplus fell by 62.6%, which makes the current account the widest measure of a country’s trade with the rest of the world.
