Japan saw a current account surplus of 750.0 billion yen in April, the Ministry of Finance said, surging by 100.8 percent on year.
The headline figure shattered forecasts for a surplus of 350.0 billion yen following the 1,251.2 billion yen surplus in March. It also blew away expectations for a more modest increase of 5.7 percent on year following the 4.3 percent contraction in the previous month.
The trade balance reflected a deficit of 818.8 billion yen, missing forecasts for a shortfall of 729.9 billion yen following the 219.9 billion yen deficit a month earlier.
Exports were up 2.7 percent on year to 5.568 trillion yen, while imports spiked an annual 9.0 percent to 6.387 trillion yen.
The financial account showed a deficit of 102.9 billion yen after posting a 775.8 billion yen deficit a month earlier. The capital account saw a shortfall of 9.4 billion yen after showing a deficit of 86.5 billion yen in the previous month.
The adjusted current account showed a surplus of 852.7 billion yen versus expectations for a surplus of 380.0 billion yen following the 342.4 billion yen surplus in March.
Also on Monday, the Bank of Japan said that overall bank lending in Japan was up 2.1 percent on year in May, standing at 402.867 trillion yen. That missed forecasts for an increase of 2.2 percent following the 2.1 percent gain in April.
Including trusts, bank lending increase 1.8 percent on year to 464.415 trillion yen - matching forecasts and up from 1.7 percent in the previous month.
Lending from trusts alone dipped 0.2 percent to 61.547 trillion yen after easing 0.3 percent a month earlier. Lending from foreign banks plunged an annual 10.6 percent to 1.997 trillion yen after falling 9.5 percent in April.
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May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.