Japan's traded deficit expands to 223.4 bln yen in November

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

TOKYO, Dec. 22 (Chinese media) -- Japan's traded balance was in the red for the second straight month in November amid the global financial meltdown, with the trade deficit expanding to 223.4 billion yen (2.51 U.S. billion dollars), said the finance ministry on Monday.

In a preliminary report, the ministry said that imports were down 14.4 percent to 5,550.0 billion yen (63.07 billion dollars) while exports plummeted 26.7 percent to 5,326.6 billion yen (60.53 billion dollars).

In terms of regions, Japan's trade surplus with the United States, the European Union and the rest of Asia suffered a decrease of 49.2 percent, 49.8 percent and 78.2 percent, respectively.

The trade data, measured on a customs-cleared basis, have yet to be adjusted for seasonal factors.