TOKYO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Japan's current account surplus in fiscal 2025 grew 15 percent from a year earlier to 34.52 trillion yen (around 219 billion U.S. dollars), hitting a record high for the third consecutive year, according to government data released Wednesday.

People sit at Odaiba Beach at sunset in Tokyo, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (File photo: AP)

The surplus was supported by the goods trade, which moved out of the red, as well as growing returns on overseas investments amid yen weakness, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.

Primary income, which reflects earnings from Japan's overseas investments, rose 2.1 percent from a year earlier to 42.28 trillion yen.

Among other key components, the goods trade balance posted a surplus of 1.36 trillion yen, a sharp turnaround from a deficit of 3.03 trillion yen the year before. Breaking it down, exports grew 3.3 percent to 111.35 trillion yen while imports edged down 0.8 percent to 109.98 trillion yen.

For March alone, Japan's current account surplus came in at 4.68 trillion yen, surging 29.1 percent year on year, the ministry said.

The current account balance is one of the widest gauges of international trade. (1 Japanese yen equals about 0.0063 U.S. dollars)