Japan's Current-Account Surplus Makes an Easy Target for Trump

Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg
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Japan’s swelling current-account surplus in February may be good news for the country’s finances, but not so much for its relationship with the U.S.

“The current-account balance above 2 trillion yen is the sort of level that makes it easier for Japan to become the target of attacks from the U.S. amid a backdrop of increasing trade frictions,” said Yuichi Kodama, chief economist at Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co.