Japan’s trade balance deteriorated, and the current account surplus fell sharply in the first half of the year.

　　Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, August 8 (Reporter Liu Chunyan) According to the preliminary statistics report on the balance of payments released by Japan’s Ministry of Finance on August 8, Japan’s current account surplus fell sharply in the first half of the year, the lowest level since the same period in 2014, due to the rising prices of imported commodities such as crude oil and the sharp depreciation of the yen.

　　The data shows that Japan’s current account balance in the first half of the year was 3.5057 trillion yen (1 US dollar is about 135 yen), a year-on-year decrease of 6.0021 trillion yen.

　　Among them, in terms of trade in goods, the trade balance turned from a surplus in the same period last year to a deficit, with a reverse balance of 5.6688 trillion yen; In terms of service trade, the trade deficit continued to expand, reaching 2.4947 trillion yen. This has turned the overall trade balance from a surplus in the same period last year into a deficit, with an inverse difference of 8.1634 trillion yen.

　　In the first half of the year, benefiting from the depreciation of the yen, Japan’s overseas investment income increased by 2.3563 trillion yen to 12.8728 trillion yen.

　　According to the report, under the situation that both trade in goods and services are in deficit, the growth of overseas investment income is the main reason why Japan can maintain its current account surplus.