Japan's current account surplus rises 29.6% on year in February

Japan's current account surplus rose 29.6 percent in February from a year earlier, according to data released by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Thursday.

The current account surplus stood at 1.47 trillion yen (15.8 billion U.S. dollars), less than market expectations, but bolstered by rising trade particularly in Asia.

However, Japan's current account balance has been in the black for 13 successive months.

Japan's current account balance is one of two major measures of the nature of the country's foreign trade, the other being the net capital outflow.

A current account surplus increases Japan's net foreign assets by the corresponding amount and both government and private payments are included in the calculation.

The current account balance is considered the broadest gauge of trade.

Source: Xinhua