FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2017 file photo, a cargo is loaded onto a freight vessel at the pier of a container terminal in Tokyo. Japan reports it logged its biggest monthly trade surplus since 2010 in February, as exports to China surged by 28 percent. Preliminary customs data released Wednesday, March 22 show overall exports rose 11 percent and imports edged up 1 percent. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File) (The Associated Press)
TOKYO – Japan reports it logged its biggest monthly trade surplus since 2010 in February, as exports to China surged by 28 percent.
Preliminary customs data released Wednesday show overall exports rose 11 percent and imports edged up 1 percent.
Partly thanks to seasonal factors, the trade surplus more than doubled from a year earlier, to 813.4 billion yen ($7.3 billion).
Analysts said weaker oil prices and a stronger yen also reduced costs for imported gas and oil needed to fuel the economy.
The biggest gains were in exports of machinery and electronic components, likely reflecting improved manufacturing in China.
Exports to the U.S. rose 0.4 percent, to 1.2 trillion yen ($11 billion) and imports fell slightly, for a surplus of 611 billion yen ($5.5 billion).
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