Japan's trade deficit in fiscal 1st half falls 75% to 2.72 trillion yen

Japan's trade deficit in the first half of fiscal 2023 declined 75.1 percent to 2.72 trillion yen ($18 billion), as imported energy costs fell after surging amid Russia's war in Ukraine and a tumbling yen, while exports grew to a record high, government data showed Thursday.The resource-scarce nation was in the red for the fifth straight year on a first-half basis, with the outlook for export growth increasingly uncertain amid weakening demand in China and aggressive monetary tightening in the United States and Europe.Imports came to 52.96 trillion yen, down 12.4 percent, as the value of cr…READ FULL ARTICLE