Japan recorded a current account surplus for 18 months in a row

Japan today announced a surplus in the trade balance for the18th  month in a row, in light of the decrease of imports from energy prices, which continue to support the suffering economy, to achieve stability in growth and inflation.

Total Average current account in Japan during the month of December witnessed a surplus record  of 1.64 trillion yen, compared with the previous reading that was referring to a surplus of 1.42 trillion yen, while it was forecast to record a surplus of 1.59 trillion yen,

While the current account data before the amendment refered to surplus at 960.7 billion yen, compared with expectations for a surplus worth 1.04 trillion yen , as the previous reading was experiencing a surplus of 1.1435 trillion yen.

As for the trade balance during the month of December, saw record surplus of 188.7 billion yen, after expectations were referring to a surplus of 300 billion yen, as the previous reading was showing a commercial deficit of 271.5 billion yen.

This and the influx of tourists to Japan as well as the income from overseas investments helped to support  the current account for Japan in recent months, But the negative burden caused by slowdown in exports, the weakness of domestic demand, which led analysts to forecast that the economy could shrink by 0.8% on the annual level during the fourth quarter of last year.

Crude oil prices is the most important factors that helped push Japan's trade surplus, and in the absence of this factor can not be trusted in the outside income for Japan to provide such a surplus in the country.