Japan posted a current account surplus of 540.7 billion yen in May, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday - remaining in the green for the fourth straight month after three consecutive months of deficit.
The headline figure missed forecasts for a surplus of 600.0 billion yen following the 750.0 billion yen surplus in April.
The surplus jumped 58.1 percent on year, also shy of expectations for a jump of 91.6 percent following the 100.8 percent spike in the previous month.
The trade balance reflected a deficit of 906.7 billion yen versus forecasts for a shortfall of 902.1 billion yen following the 818.8 billion yen deficit in the previous month.
Exports added an annual 9.1 percent to 5.526 trillion after showing 5.568 trillion in April. Imports were up 9.6 percent on year to 6.433 trillion yen after coming in at 6.387 trillion a month earlier.
The capital account saw a deficit of 261.9 billion yen, while the financial account had a surplus of 900.8 billion yen.
The adjusted current account saw a surplus of 623.3 billion yen, beating expectations for a surplus of 600.0 billion yen after coming in at a surplus of 852.7 billion in the previous month.
Also on Monday, the Bank of Japan said that overall bank lending in Japan was up 2.2 percent on year in June, the Bank of Japan said on Friday, standing at 403.640 trillion yen. That follows the 2.1 percent annual increase in May.
Including trusts, bank lending was up 1.9 percent on year to 465.282 trillion yen following the 1.8 percent gain in the previous month.
Lending from trusts alone was roughly flat, standing at 61.642 trillion yen.
Lending from foreign banks dipped 12.6 percent to 1.969 trillion yen following the 10.6 percent contraction a month earlier.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
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.