Japan’s demand for imports ______ last month. [originaltext] Japan’s trade su

Japan’s trade surplus jumped again last month with the sluggish economy continuing to slow demand for imports. Finance Ministry figures show the January trade surplus was $5.3 billion. That was almost 40% higher than the same period of last year. It was the 25th consecutive monthly gain in the surplus from previous year level. Japan’s trading partners have become increasingly irritated with its growing trade surplus.