The nation's trade surplus in April fell 12.6 percent from the year before to 1.07 trillion yen, as the fall in exports exceeded that of imports, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
It was the first drop in the surplus in two months, according to the ministry's preliminary report on merchandise trade.
But the politically sensitive bilateral surplus with the United States inched up for the second consecutive monthly increase.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.