The nation's current account surplus grew for the first time in two years in 2000, jumping 3.7 percent from the previous year to 12.6 trillion yen, according to preliminary figures released Wednesday by the Finance Ministry.
The figure was a turnaround from a 22.9 percent fall in 1999, mainly due to a reduced services trade deficit. Determining the future direction of the current account surplus is difficult, however, because different components of the current account balance showed different results, a ministry official said.
The current account measures the difference between a country's income from foreign sources and foreign obligations payable, excluding net capital investment.