Japan's account surplus down

Japan's account surplus down

TOKYO (AFP): Japan's current account surplus in November dropped 31.0 percent from the previous year as the strong yen offset a recovering Asia to drive up imports, the finance ministry said Thursday.

The surplus, which measures the flow of goods, services and investment income and other financial transfers, stood at 809.7 billion yen (US$7.7 billion), down for the 10th consecutive month year-on-year.

"The narrowing trend is unlikely to change for the time being, given the exchange rate movements," a ministry official said.