Japan posts trade deficit for past year, the first in nearly three decades

September 24th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan posted a trade surplus for the seventh straight month in August, compared to a deficit in the same month the previous year, the finance ministry said Thursday. The surplus was 185.7 billion yen ($2.04 billion) against a deficit of 314.2 billion yen the year before, suggesting a positive trend for Japan's export-led economy.

September 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama Monday extended for another year the trade embargo against Cuba that has been in place for nearly five decades. Obama, in a note to the State Department and Treasury, said the embargo remained "in the national interest of the US." The annual extension is considered routine and has been taken by all of his predecessors since the 1970s.

September 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US trade deficit rose by 16.3 percent to $32 billion in July, the highest level in six months, the commerce department said Thursday. The deficit was much higher than the $27.4 billion expected by economists.

September 10th, 2009 Summary Box: Improving economy ups trade deficitWHAT HAPPENED?: The trade deficit rose to $32 billion in July, the highest in six months. Imports jumped 4.7 percent, the largest monthly increase on records dating from 1992.

August 19th, 2009 TOKYO - China was Japan's biggest trading partner in the first six months this year, according to a report Wednesday. For the first time, Japan's exports to China surpassed those to the US.

July 30th, 2009 Russia to run 7.5 pct budget deficit next yearMOSCOW — Russia will next year run a budget deficit equivalent to 7.5 percent of annual economic output, the highest deficit the country can afford, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Russia is facing its biggest economic test in a decade and is this year running a budget deficit of 9.4 percent of gross domestic product — its first deficit in a decade.

July 30th, 2009 Russia to run 7.5 pct deficit in 2010MOSCOW — Russia will next year run a budget deficit equivalent to 7.5 percent of annual economic output, the highest deficit the country can afford without hurting economic stability, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Russia is facing its biggest economic test in a decade and is this year running a budget deficit of 9.4 percent of gross domestic product — its first deficit in a decade.

July 17th, 2009 BRUSSELS - The European Union (EU) exports to India between January and April stood at 8.3 billion euros (about $11 billion), while the figure in the same period last year was 10.3 billion euros (about $14 billion), the EuAsiaNews said Friday. The Eurostat, statistical bureau of the EU, said the trade flow of the 27-member European block with all its major partners, including India, fell in the first four months of this year.

July 10th, 2009 May trade deficits dips more than expected to $26BWASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit fell to the lowest level in more than nine years in May as exports posted a small gain while the weak American economy pushed imports down for a 10th straight month.

July 6th, 2009 US, Japan make progress on opening Japanese marketWASHINGTON — The United States says it has made progress in opening Japan's market to foreign investors. The U.S. trade envoy's office said Monday in an 86-page report that the countries were acting to speed up regulatory reviews for pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

April 22nd, 2009 Japan's export slump eases slightly in MarchTOKYO — The severe slump in Japan's exports eased slightly in March, offering a small sign that overseas demand may be headed toward recovery, even as the nation recorded its first annual trade deficit in 28 years. Exports in March plunged by almost 46 percent from a year earlier, the finance ministry said Wednesday, but the decline wasn't as bad as February when exports slumped by about half.

April 22nd, 2009 Japan's exports dive 46 percent in MarchTOKYO — Japan's exports continued to slump in March, hit by declining shipments of autos and electronics, underlining a grim outlook for the world's second-largest economy as it struggles to climb out of recession. Japan also recorded its first annual trade deficit in 28 years for the 12 months through March, the Ministry of Finance said Wednesday, as the global economic crisis sank demand for the nation's mainstay exports.

April 22nd, 2009 TOKYO - Japan's trade balance for fiscal 2008 marked the first deficit in 28 years due to rise in commodity prices and slower exports to the US and other major economies, the finance ministry said Wednesday. The nation's trade deficit logged 725.32 billion yen ($7.38 billion) in fiscal 2008 that ended in March, the ministry said.

March 9th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan logged its first current account deficit in 13 years in January of 172.8 billion yen ($1.8 billion), the Finance Ministry data showed Monday. It was the first current account deficit since January 1996 and the largest since comparable data became available in January 1985, the government said.

February 25th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan logged the largest trade deficit on record in January as the global recession slowed exports, the finance ministry said Wednesday. The nation's trade deficit totalled 952.6 billion yen ($9.97 billion) in January.