TOKYO, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan ran a trade deficit of 378.6 billion yen (about 2.36 billion U.S. dollars) in May, its first red ink in four months, government data showed Wednesday, as the weak yen inflated the value of imports even as volumes fell.
Total exports rose 17.0 percent to 9.51 trillion yen year-on-year in May on strong demand for semiconductors and other electronic parts as well as motor vehicles, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.
Imports grew 12.5 percent from a year ago to 9.89 trillion yen due to purchases of communication devices despite a plunge in crude oil import volumes.
Japan's imports of oil dropped 57.3 percent to 4.73 million kiloliters, as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz sharply raised the prices of crude and related products, the data showed.
Meanwhile, by volume, total imports fell nearly 7 percent. The Japanese yen traded at 158.29 against the U.S. dollar, on average, in May, 10 percent weaker than a year ago, according to the ministry. A weaker yen makes imports more expensive and offsets the rise in exports. (1 Japanese yen equals 0.0062 U.S. dollars) ■