{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1910761,
        "msgid": "japans-current-account-swings-to-deficit-for-first-time-in-17-months-1786359184",
        "date": "2026-08-10 17:20:00",
        "title": "Japan's Current Account Swings to Deficit for First Time in 17 Months",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Economy",
        "summary": "Japan recorded a current account deficit in June 2026, its first in 17 months, driven by a surge in dividend payments to foreign investors and rising oil import costs. Despite the monthly shortfall, the country still posted a record surplus for the first half of the year, bolstered by strong semiconductor exports.",
        "content": "<p>Japan recorded a current account deficit in June 2026 for the first\ntime in 17 months. This occurred amid rising dividend payments to\nforeign investors and surging oil import costs.<\/p>\n<p>Data from Japan\u2019s Ministry of Finance showed the current account\nrecorded a deficit of 92.3 billion yen (approximately Rp988 billion) in\nJune.<\/p>\n<p>This realisation was the opposite of economists\u2019 forecasts in a\nReuters poll, which had predicted a surplus of 1.51 trillion yen. In\nJune of the previous year, Japan still recorded a current account\nsurplus of 1.28 trillion yen.<\/p>\n<p>The main cause of the weakening stemmed from a shrinking primary\nincome surplus. This is usually the largest source of Japan\u2019s current\naccount surplus.<\/p>\n<p>The net balance of income from securities investment and direct\ninvestment fell 74% to 380 billion yen. This decline occurred due to\nincreased dividend payments from Japanese companies to foreign\ninvestors.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the surge in oil import costs contributed to Japan\u2019s\ntrade deficit in June. This condition then helped push Japan\u2019s current\naccount into deficit territory.<\/p>\n<p>Despite recording a deficit in June, Japan\u2019s current account\nperformance throughout the first half of 2026 still recorded a large\nsurplus. Japan\u2019s current account surplus in the first six months of this\nyear increased 22.5% to 17.4 trillion yen, also becoming the highest on\nrecord.<\/p>\n<p>This performance was mainly driven by a trade surplus supported by\nstrong semiconductor exports for artificial intelligence (AI) data\ncentre needs.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, the June deficit does not yet indicate a comprehensive change\nin Japan\u2019s external position. However, the data shows pressure from\nrising energy import costs and profit payments to foreign investors.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/japans-current-account-swings-to-deficit-for-first-time-in-17-months-1786359184",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}