Japan logged a current account surplus in July for the 25th straight month, owing to the yen's appreciation and lower costs for crude oil imports, the Japanese Finance Ministry said on Thursday. 
According to the ministry's preliminary figures, the surplus expanded 0.8% from a year earlier, standing at 1.94 trillion yen (19.08 billion US dollars) in the reporting month. 
Goods trade posted a surplus of 613.9 billion yen from a year earlier and exports and imports retreated 15.7% and 26% respectively from a year earlier, the finance ministry's data showed. 
Crude imports' value declined in the reporting period, the ministry also said, falling 42.7%, as global oil prices slid. Natural gas imports here were also down more than 43%, the government's report showed. 
Japan's earnings from foreign investments decreased 23.6% to 1.69 trillion yen due to the yen's strength, which dragged down the surplus in the primary income account, added the ministry. 
The surplus in the primary income account, which reflects how much Japan earns from foreign investments, decreased 23.6% to 1.69 trillion yen due partly to a firmer yen, the ministry said. 
Japan's current account surplus is one of the broadest measure of its trade with the rest of the world and the data is keenly eyed by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and the finance ministry ahead of new potential policy changes or monetary easing or tapering measures.

Source : QNA