Japan’s Trade Gap Takes Dive: Surging imports...

Japan’s Trade Gap Takes Dive: Surging imports pushed Japan’s trade surplus down 90% in January, its sharpest decline in five years, but the gap with the United States showed less dramatic improvement, Japan’s Finance Ministry reported. January’s customs-cleared trade surplus fell to just $340 million from $3.25 billion a year ago, the ministry said. Exports shrank 3.8%--the fourth consecutive monthly decline--largely due to weak demand in the United States and Europe. The gap with the United States fell 25.9% to $2.20 billion from $2.97 billion a year earlier.