Japan Posts Trade Deficit for Eighth Straight Month in February

Japan logged a trade deficit of 777.5 billion yen
(8.1 billion dollars) in February for the eighth consecutive month of
trade loss, dpa quoted the government as saying Thursday.
Exports declined 2.9 per cent in February from a year earlier to
5.28 trillion yen for the first fall in two months, while imports
grew 11.9 per cent to 6.06 trillion yen for the fourth straight month
of increase, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.
Overall shipments of vehicles declined 5.3 per cent and exports of
metal machinery dropped 23.9 per cent, while petroleum imports rose
12.3 per cent from a year earlier and those of liquefied natural gas
jumped 19.1 per cent, the ministry said.