Japan Jan. trade deficit at record 3.5 tril. yen on energy imports

Japan posted its largest-ever trade deficit of 3.5 trillion yen ($26 billion) in January after energy import prices jumped and export growth slowed, with record red ink logged with major trading partner China, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.The deficit, roughly a 1.6-fold increase from a year earlier, exceeded the previous record of 2.82 trillion yen in August last year, highlighting the vulnerability of the resource-poor country that relies on other nations for energy.Japan logged red ink for the 18th consecutive month, according to the ministry.China's Lunar New Year holidays began in…READ FULL ARTICLE