[PEN-L:34147] a trade surplus

["Ian Murray" <seamus2001@xxxxxxxxx>]

Japan's Trade Surplus Jumps Over 51 Pct.
The Associated Press
Sunday, January 26, 2003; 8:19 PM


TOKYO -- Japan's trade surplus jumped 51.3 percent last year as
exports continued to underpin the nation's struggling economy, the
Finance Ministry said Monday.

The trade surplus for the full year rose to 9.93 trillion yen
($84.29 billion), with exports rising 6.4 percent and imports
slipping 0.6 percent from 2001, the ministry said.

By month, the trade figure grew 19.9 percent to 791 billion yen
($6.71 million) in December from a year earlier, its 10th straight
month of gains.

Exports in December grew 15.1 percent, contributing to the surplus
growth. But the expansion was smaller than expected because of an
almost equally strong surge in imports, which last month recorded a
14.1 percent increase from a year earlier.

Japan's trade surplus with the United States increased 18.6 percent
to 624.1 billion yen ($5.30 billion) in December from a year
earlier.

Exports to the United States and other countries have boosted demand
for Japanese-made high-technology goods. As the government
acknowledged in its December monthly economic report, however, Japan
faces a risk its recovery may stall because of a slowing global
economy.