Japan's trade deficit nearly halved to 2.61 trillion yen in the January-June period as imports grew 1.1 percent to 53.22 trillion yen and exports climbed 6.7 percent to 50.61 trillion yen, the Finance Ministry said.
The surplus in the current account balance, one of the widest gauges of international trade, expanded nearly 60 percent in the first half, data showed.
During the reporting period, the country saw a record 17.78 million foreign visitors, with its travel surplus hitting a record 2.6 trillion yen, meaning the amount spent by foreign visitors in Japan exceeded what Japanese spent overseas, according to the ministry.
Meanwhile, the services trade deficit shrank 15.4 percent to 1.75 trillion yen.
In June alone, Japan's current account surplus stood at 1.53 trillion yen, up 0.9 percent from the year before to the second-highest level for the month.
June's trade surplus expanded nearly 70 percent to 556.3 billion yen, lifted by continued export growth. Exports went up 5.9 percent to 9.17 trillion yen, while imports increased 3.4 percent to 8.61 trillion yen.
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