Japan’s Current Account Surplus Grows 2.8%

Japan’s current account surplus widened for the first time in four months in January, as investors and companies brought home more earnings from abroad. The current account surplus rose 2.8%, to a seasonally adjusted $7.04 billion in January, the Ministry of Finance said. December’s surplus was revised higher to $6.84 billion. Still, the surplus was down 60% from a year ago, to $2.08 billion. The current account is the broadest measure of the flow of goods, services and money to and from Japan. Japanese brought more money home from foreign operations in January, helping push the income account up 43%, to a seasonally adjusted $6.74 billion. That offset a decline in the trade surplus as exports fell. More money flowed back to Japan and investors received more interest on their holdings of U.S. bonds, the ministry said.