The nation's current account surplus more than tripled in January from a year earlier, marking a 224.3 percent increase from 218.6 billion yen to 709 billion yen, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the Finance Ministry.
It was the fourth consecutive month of increase in the broadest gauge of trade and the second-biggest surge since a record 404.9 percent increase was logged in November 1991, 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. The current account combines trade, services, income and current account transfers.