TOKYO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan posted a current account surplus in October for the 40th successive month as a sharp increase in earnings from foreign investment more than offset a shrinking trade surplus, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report on Friday.
According to the ministry, the current account surplus stood at 2.18 trillion yen (19.26 billion U.S. dollars) in October, marking the highest record for the month.
The surplus in the primary income account, which shows how much Japan earns from foreign investments, came to 1.94 trillion yen (17.15 billion U.S. dollars), up by 31.6 percent from a year earlier.
Goods trade, meanwhile, registered a surplus of 430.2 billion yen (3.80 billion U.S. dollars) in the recording period, down 24.0 percent.
Overall, exports surged by 14.3 percent to 6.57 trillion yen (58.08 billion U.S. dollars) while imports rose by 18.5 percent to 6.14 trillion yen (54.28 billion U.S. dollars) amid increased energy imports.
Japan's current account surplus is one of the broadest measure of its trade with the rest of the world.
