Japan's customs-cleared merchandise trade surplus came to 5.73 trillion yen in the first half of fiscal 2000, down 4.6 percent from a year earlier as imports outgrew exports, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
The figure represents the third straight half-year of decline, the ministry said in a preliminary report.
The trade surplus in June alone was 1.198 trillion yen, up 3 percent from a year earlier, following a 29 percent decline in May.