TOKYO, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan continued to see a trade deficit in September, remaining in the red for the third consecutive month, largely driven by sluggish automobile exports, government data showed on Thursday.
The country logged a deficit of 294.3 billion yen (about 1.97 billion U.S. dollars) in September, reversing from a surplus of 60.5 billion yen in September 2023, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Exports fell 1.7 percent to 9.04 trillion yen last month, dragged down by exports of automobiles, mineral fuels, and construction and mining machinery, which fell by 9.2 percent, 49.8 percent, and 33.3 percent respectively.
However, exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment saw a year-on-year increase of 26.3 percent.
Imports rose 2.1 percent year-on-year to 9.33 trillion yen, marking the sixth consecutive month of growth. Imports of computers and peripheral devices surged by 35.6 percent.
By region, Japan's exports to the United States, the European Union, and China all experienced year-on-year declines in September.
In the first half of fiscal year 2024 (April to September), the country recorded a trade deficit of 3.1 trillion yen, the data showed. (1 Japanese yen equals 0.0067 U.S. dollar) ■
