URGENT: Japan posts record trade deficit of 19.97 tril. yen in 2022

Japan registered its biggest annual trade deficit of 19.97 trillion yen ($155.27 billion) in 2022, after imports grew far more than exports, boosted by higher energy and raw material costs along with a weaker yen, government data showed Thursday.

The value of imports jumped 39.2 percent compared with exports that grew 18.2 percent, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.

© Kyodo News