Japan's August Merchandise Trade Balance: Summary (Table)

By Minh Bui

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Following is a summary of Japan's merchandise trade balance from the Ministry of Finance in Tokyo.

===============================================================================
           Aug.      July      June       May      April     March     Feb.
           2008      2008      2008      2008      2008      2008      2008
===============================================================================
           -----------------Not Seasonally Adjusted Yen Level-----------------
Balance      -324.0      85.5     121.9     357.8     475.2   1,109.0     963.3
3-mo. avg    -38.9     188.4     318.3     647.3     849.2     660.8     580.2
Exports    7,055.9   7,628.7   7,153.7   6,809.0   6,891.4   7,682.5   6,975.4
Imports    7,379.9   7,543.2   7,031.9   6,451.2   6,416.2   6,573.6   6,012.0
           --------------------Year-on-Year Percent Change--------------------
Balance         n/a    -87.5%    -90.2%     -9.5%    -47.4%    -30.8%      0.2%
Exports       0.3%      8.0%     -1.8%      3.7%      3.9%      2.3%      8.7%
Imports      17.3%     18.2%     16.4%      4.5%     12.0%     11.2%     10.2%
           ---------------------Three-Month Percent Change--------------------
Balance     -106.0%    -77.8%    -51.8%     11.6%     63.1%    -25.2%    -48.7%
Exports       2.1%      0.2%     -1.0%      2.7%      2.1%     -5.1%     -5.5%
===============================================================================
           Aug.      July      June       May      April     March     Feb.
           2008      2008      2008      2008      2008      2008      2008
===============================================================================
Imports      12.9%     10.7%      4.3%      1.9%     -2.8%     -2.4%      2.4%
           -------------------Seasonally Adjusted Yen Level-------------------
Balance      -113.3     114.5      73.2     485.3     612.2     654.0     604.3
3-mo. avg     24.8     224.3     390.2     583.8     623.5     693.3     666.8
Exports    7,332.1   7,347.4   7,258.6   7,199.0   6,913.3   7,136.9   7,052.1
Imports    7,445.3   7,232.9   7,185.4   6,713.7   6,301.1   6,482.9   6,447.8
           -------------------Month-on-Month Percent Change-------------------
Balance     -199.0%     56.3%    -84.9%    -20.7%     -6.4%      8.2%    -26.4%
Exports      -0.2%      1.2%      0.8%      4.1%     -3.1%      1.2%     -2.6%
Imports       2.9%      0.7%      7.0%      6.5%     -2.8%      0.5%      0.4%
           ---------------------Three-Month Percent Change--------------------
Balance      -95.8%    -64.0%    -43.7%    -12.4%    -15.6%    -14.4%    -31.4%
Exports       3.2%      3.3%     -0.3%     -1.1%     -2.2%     -0.2%      0.8%
Imports      12.1%      9.9%      4.4%      0.1%     -0.7%      1.6%      5.9%
===============================================================================

NOTE: Levels are in billions of yen. Three-month percentage changes are calculated as the three-month average change from the prior three- month average.

SOURCE: Ministry of Finance

To contact the reporter of this story: Minh Bui in Tokyo at mbui@bloomberg.net