TOKYO (AP) — Japan recorded a trade deficit in June, according to government data released Wednesday, as the higher price of oil imports helped cause the second straight month of red ink.
Japan ’s trade deficit totaled 406.9 billion yen ($2.5 billion) in June, the Ministry of Finance reported, a reversal from the 122 billion yen surplus recorded a year ago.
Japan’s exports rose 19% from a year ago to 10.9 trillion yen, growing at a brisk pace including semiconductor shipments. Japan’s exports grew to various nations, including the U.S. and China. Imports gained 25% to 11.3 trillion yen.
A weak yen also helped drive both exports and imports higher. That’s because their value is usually priced in dollars.
The dollar has been trading at about 163 yen, up from 140-yen levels a year earlier.
Japan imports virtually all its oil. Before the war with Iran, much of it had passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Vessel traffic there has been severely disrupted.
Wednesday’s provisional ministry data show that Japan’s oil imports from the U.S. surged nearly five-fold from a year ago.
Brent crude, which had been trading at about $60 a barrel at the beginning of this year, shot up to as high as $114 a barrel before gradually declining. Brent has been trading at $90 levels lately.
From January through June, Japan’s exports added nearly 14% to 60.6 trillion yen, while imports edged up nearly 11% to 61.9 trillion yen. That translates to about a trillion yen deficit.
The Japanese government under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the nation’s first woman leader, has been turning to aggressive programs to jumpstart the economy, with spending in AI, defense and robotics. Recent polls show her popularity with voters, which had been high, is waning.
Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama
FILE - An electronic board shows the exchange rate of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar, top, and Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index, bottom, at a foreign exchange dealing company in Tokyo Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Kenichiro Kojima/Kyodo News via AP, File)
FILE -A container ship is docked at a cargo terminal in Tokyo, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung exited early from a 10-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night because of left calf tightness.
Jung, the team's leading hitter with a .294 average, was replaced in the field in the top of the fourth inning. Jung had a two-out single in the third, then appeared slow going from first to third base on a single by Brandon Nimmo. Jung did finish that inning, scoring on a double by Jake Burger.
After the game, Jung said he was a little sore but not concerned about the tightness he first felt when running to first base on his hit in the third inning. He said he wanted to play through it, but Rangers manager Skip Schumaker took him out of the game.
The Rangers before the game placed catcher Kyle Higashioka on the 10-day injured list with right flexor strain, and put right-handed pitcher Jose Corniell on the 15-day list with the same injury.
Texas brought up left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales and catcher Austin Wynns from Triple-A Round Rock.
Gonzales, a 34-year-old left-hander, pitched the final three innings for his first big league save — in his 171st career game since his debut in 2014, and his first relief appearance in the majors since 2017.
It was his first big league game since a start for Pittsburgh on Aug. 7, 2024. He missed all of last season recovering from elbow surgery, and started this season in the San Diego Padres organization.
Left-hander Jalen Beeks, who will miss the rest of the season because of surgery for a flexor tendon strain, was transferred to the 60-day IL.
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Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung throws to first base after fielding a ground out against Chicago White Sox's Chase Meidroth during the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Texas Rangers' Josh Jung scores on a double by teammate Jake Burger during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka (11) celebrates scoring off the bat of Wyatt Langford in the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, right, tags out Chicago White Sox's Sam Antonacci, left, between third and home plate on a fielder's choice during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
