Japan Has Y130.936 Billion Trade Surplus

(RTTNews) - Japan posted a seasonally adjusted merchandise trade surplus of 130.936 billion yen in December, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday.

That beat expectations for a deficit of 55.0 billion yen following the 110.3 billion yen shortfall in November.

Exports climbed 2.8 percent on year to 9.910 trillion yen - exceeding expectations for an increase of 2.3 percent after rising 3.8 percent in the previous month.

Imports gained an annual 1.8 percent to 9.779 trillion yen versus forecasts for an increase of 2.6 percent following the 3.8 percent decline a month earlier.