Japan saw record trade deficit in 2022 amid soaring energy prices, weak yen

Japan posted its biggest annual trade deficit since record keeping began in 2022, as soaring prices for energy and raw material prices were further inflated by a weaker yen, the government said in a report on Thursday.

According to the Finance Ministry, the country logged a 19.97 trillion yen ($155 billion) deficit for 2022 — the largest amount for a year since comparable data became available in 1979, reports Xinhua news agency.

Imports in the recording period leaped 39.2 per cent to a record 118.16 trillion yen, while exports were up a record 8.2 per cent to 98.19 trillion yen, the Ministry’s preliminary reports showed.