Japan's current account surplus surged 46.2 percent in February from a year earlier to 2.16 trillion yen for the eighth straight month of expansion, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report Monday.
It was the third-largest monthly surplus on record, following those in March 1993 and March 2002, the ministry said.
The surplus in February brings the total for the period from last April to February to more than 15.4 trillion yen, making it almost certain that the surplus for fiscal 2003 will hit a record high.
The total already surpasses the record 15.19 trillion yen set in fiscal 1998.
The February surplus was mainly backed by a robust trade surplus with China and other parts of Asia, which has propped up Japan's recent export-driven economic recovery.
The trade balance -- exports minus imports -- posted a 1.55 trillion yen surplus, up 42.1 percent from the same month last year. Exports jumped 10.5 percent to 4.55 trillion yen, while imports edged down 0.9 percent to 3.01 trillion yen.
Japan's exports to Asia rose amid strong demand for high-tech components for digital gadgets and mobile telephones.
The current account surplus was also helped by a surplus in income from active investment in overseas securities.
The current account balance -- the broadest gauge of trade in goods and services -- is calculated by determining the difference between income from foreign sources and payments on foreign obligations, excluding net capital investment.