TOKYO, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Japan logged a current account surplus for the 53rd consecutive month in November, the government said in a report on Friday.
According to the Finance Ministry, in the recording month, the current account surplus stood at 757.2 billion yen (7 billion U.S. dollars).
Japan's goods trade deficit stood at 559.1 billion yen (5.16 billion U.S. dollars) and services trade surplus at 12.1 billion yen (111.73 million U.S. dollars) in the reporting period, the ministry's preliminary data showed, of the account's key components.
Reflecting returns made on investments abroad, the primary income booked a surplus of 1.44 trillion yen (13.29 billion U.S. dollars), the ministry also said.
Japan has been running a surplus in the current account, one of the widest gauges of international trade, helped by solid income from foreign investments.
Japan's current account surplus is one of the broadest measure of its trade with the rest of the world.
The data is keenly eyed by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and the finance ministry ahead of new potential policy changes or monetary easing or tapering measures.
In Japan, the current account surplus increases the nation's net foreign assets by the corresponding amount, and a current account deficit does the reverse.
Both the Japanese government and private payments are included in the calculation and it is called the current account because goods and services are generally consumed in the current period.
