Tokyo, Oct 9 (IANS) Japan’s current account surplus rose 4.2 percent in August from a year earlier to 454.7 billion yen, according to a report released by the government Tuesday.

The surplus in the balance of international payments, one of the widest gauges of trade for a country, rose for the first time in 18 months, said the report released by the finance ministry.
Among key components, the balance of goods trade came to 644.5 billion yen deficit, reported Xinhua.