Japan 's exports grew a year-on-year 40.9 percent in January to over 4.9 trillion yen (54.3 billion USD), Kyodo news reported on Feb. 24.
The country’s imports rose for the first time since October 2008, up 8.6 percent to more than 4.8 trillion yen (around 54 billionUSD), the news agency cited the Finance Ministry as saying in a preliminary report, which said that domestic demand may have finally picked up.
As a result, Japan 's trade surplus amounted to 85.2 billion yen, compared with a record deficit of 956.03 billion yen a year earlier, extending the black ink for the 12th consecutive month running.
The growth in exports is the biggest since February 1980. But the enlargement is partly due to an advantageous year-on-year comparison. In January 2009, Japan 's exports to the rest of the world plunged 45.7 percent -- the steepest on record in the face of the global economic crisis, according to the news agency./.