Japan’s Trade Deficit Jumps to 8-year High as Commodity Imports Soar

Japan’s Trade Deficit Jumps to 8-year High as Commodity Imports Soar
Stacked containers are seen at an industrial port in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 17, 2022. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

TOKYO—Japan ran its biggest trade deficit in a single month in eight years in January as high energy costs swelled imports and manufacturers struggled with global supply constraints, causing a decline in car shipments.

The growing trade deficit highlights the world’s third-largest economy’s vulnerability to soaring commodity costs and slowing demand from its neighbor China as the economy there struggles to maintain momentum.