TRADE

Japan’s Merchandise Trade Surplus Declines: The Finance Ministry said it shrank 65.5% in April from the same month a year ago to $3 billion. That is the 17th straight monthly decline. Starting with April figures, the ministry is releasing numbers exclusively in yen terms. The change is meant to erase distortions created by swings in the yen-dollar exchange rate and to better monitor the relationship between trade and the domestic economy, Japan said. Japan’s trade surplus with the U.S. in April fell 55.6% to 172.094 billion yen, the ministry said. Global imports to Japan rose 30.9% to 3.324 trillion yen. Exports increased 5.1% to 3.644 trillion yen.