Japan Trade Deficit Beats Expectations

BY TAKASHI NAKAMICHI

TOKYO?Japan posted a much bigger-than-expected merchandise trade deficit in May, as it imports more fossil fuels to offset a shutdown of its nuclear power plants and the impact of the European debt crisis that weighs on its economic recovery.

Japan's trade deficit stood at ?907.26 billion ($11.48 billion) in the month, data released Wednesday by the Ministry of Finance showed, swelling 5.4% from a year earlier and much larger than the ?520.0 billion gap expected by economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires and the Nikkei.

The deficit was the biggest on record for the month of May, ...

BY TAKASHI NAKAMICHI

TOKYO?Japan posted a much bigger-than-expected merchandise trade deficit in May, as it imports more fossil fuels to offset a shutdown of its nuclear power plants and the impact of the European debt crisis that weighs on its economic recovery.

Japan's trade deficit stood at ?907.26 billion ($11.48 billion) in the month, data released Wednesday by the Ministry of Finance showed, swelling 5.4% from a year earlier and much larger than the ?520.0 billion gap expected by economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires and the Nikkei.

The deficit was the biggest on record for the month of May, ...

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