The current account balance in August, which shows how much Japan earned through trade and investment with foreign countries, was a surplus of 1,665.6 billion yen, but the surplus fell below the same month last year for the first time in half a year. I did.

This is because the import value increased due to the rise in crude oil prices, and the “trade balance”, which is the deduction of imports from exports, turned into a deficit.

According to the balance of payments statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, Japan's current account surplus in August was 1,665.6 billion yen, but the surplus amount was 419.6 billion yen from the same month last year, or 20.1%. It has decreased and fell below last year for the first time in half a year.



This is because parts procurement became difficult due to the spread of infection in Southeast Asia, automobile production decreased, exports to Europe, the United States and China were sluggish, and the import value increased significantly due to the rise in crude oil prices, and imports from exports. This is because the “trade balance” after deducting the above amount was a deficit of 372.4 billion yen.



It is the first time in seven months since January that the "trade balance" has been in the red.



In addition, the “Travel Balance” was in the black at 14.6 billion yen, but due to the large drop in the number of foreign tourists, the surplus decreased by 25.6% from the same month last year and continues to be sluggish.



On the other hand, the “primary income balance” obtained from overseas securities investment increased to a surplus of 2,425.9 billion yen due to the rise in stock prices and other factors.