Japan’s Trade Surplus Falls

With rising spending on imports and travel, the surplus in Japan’s broadest measure of trade fell 8.5 percent in March, continuing a trend that began in 1994, the government said Monday.

The Ministry of Finance also reported Monday that the current account surplus fell 24 percent for the fiscal year ending March 31, marking the third straight year of decline.

With the exception of one month - July 1995 - Japan’s current account surplus has been shrinking since December 1994. Continuing efforts to move production overseas and the surging value of the yen have led the reduction. The high yen forces exporters to raise prices overseas, making their products less competitive.