Japan's rising global trade surplus - a blessing but also a bane

Tokyo

JAPAN'S exports grew by a robust 11.3 per cent in February from the same month last year, pushing the nation's trade surplus to its highest level in seven years at 680 billion yen (S$8.57 billion) as shipments to China surged in the wake of a Chinese New Year slowdown.

But while the rise in overseas demand, including that from the United States, was welcome, the surge in Japan's trade surplus fuelled concerns that the Trump administration could use this to demand that Japan open its markets further to US exports.