TOKYO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan logged a current account surplus in January, the government said in a report on Friday.
According to the finance ministry, the current account surplus here stood at 600.4 billion yen (5.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the recording month, with Japan logging a surplus for the 55th straight month.
According to the preliminary figures released by the ministry, Japan had a goods trade deficit of 964.8 billion yen (8.6 billion U.S. dollars) and a services trade deficit of 151.2 billion yen (1.3 billion U.S. dollars) in the recording period.
The ministry also said, the primary income, which reflects returns on investments made overseas booked a surplus of 1.76 trillion yen (15.7 billion U.S. dollars).
Japan has been running a surplus in the current account, one of the widest gauges of international trade, helped by solid income from foreign investments.
Japan's current account surplus is one of the broadest measure of its trade with the rest of the world.
The data is keenly eyed by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and the finance ministry ahead of new potential policy changes or monetary easing or tapering measures.
In Japan, the current account surplus increases the nation's net foreign assets by the corresponding amount, and a current account deficit does the reverse.
Both the Japanese government's and private payments are included in the calculation and it is called the "current account" because goods and services are generally consumed in the current period. Enditem
