emirates7 - Japan recorded a current account surplus of 4.06 trillion yen (approximately $27.5 billion) in February, marking a return to positive territory after two months and setting a new monthly record, according to government data released Tuesday. The surge was fueled by strong export performance, particularly in the automotive and semiconductor sectors.

The Finance Ministry reported that the surplus jumped 48.4 percent compared to the same month last year, reaching the highest level since the government began compiling comparable data in 1985.

The goods trade component posted a surplus of 712.9 billion yen, reversing a deficit of 298.3 billion yen from the previous year. This turnaround was driven by a 10.4 percent rise in exports, which totaled 9 trillion yen, largely supported by robust shipments of vehicles to the U.S. and semiconductor manufacturing equipment to Taiwan.

On the other hand, imports dropped by 1.9 percent to 8.29 trillion yen—the first decline in three months—mainly due to lower import values for crude oil and coal.

Another major contributor to the surplus was primary income, which represents earnings from overseas investments. It rose 10.9 percent year-on-year to 3.88 trillion yen, the highest figure ever recorded for February, boosted by higher returns from foreign stocks and bonds.