The current account balance shows how much money Japan earns from overseas trade and investment. Last year's current account surplus exceeded 20 trillion yen, nearly twice as much as the previous year.
The surplus was due to the soaring energy prices coming to an end and the amount of imports decreasing. The "primary income balance," which shows the earnings from dividends and interest received by Japanese companies from overseas subsidiaries, was 34,557.3 billion yen, which is higher than last year due to rising interest rates on overseas bonds.