Japan Logs Biggest Current Account Deficit Since 2014 as Oil Import Costs Surge

Japan Logs Biggest Current Account Deficit Since 2014 as Oil Import Costs Surge
A cargo ship and containers are seen at an industrial port in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 15, 2022. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

TOKYO—Japan recorded its largest current account deficit since the start of 2014 in January as a jump in oil import costs offset gains in investment income, with continuing uncertainty due to the Ukraine crisis and COVID-19 pandemic.

The current account data highlighted the dependence of Japan’s resource-deficient economy on imports of commodities and raw materials, which caused the trade deficit to widen.