Japan’s World Trade Surplus Declines by 36.1% in June

Japan’s trade surplus with the world fell 36.1% in June from a year ago for the fifth straight month of year-on-year decline, the government said today.

Japan’s surplus with the United States also fell, declining 8.3% in June on a yearly basis to $4.77 billion, the ministry said. For the first six months of 2001, it declined 6.1% to $28.1 billion.

The merchandise trade surplus--the measure of all goods exported minus those imported--came in at $6.19 billion, the Finance Ministry said.

The June surplus was larger than expected.

The ministry also announced that Japan’s trade surplus for the first six months of 2001 fell 44%. The total figure was not immediately available.

June’s surplus followed declines of 86.1% in May, 41.6% in April, 17% in March and 25.4% in February. In January, Japan posted a merchandise trade deficit for the first time in four years.

The United States and other trading partners have long urged Japan to cut its surplus by stimulating domestic demand for imports. But consumer spending here has remained sluggish amid high unemployment.