Japan's trade surplus jumps 36.9% in June

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's trade surplus expanded for the twelfth straight month in June on surging exports to other Asian countries, pointing to the strong regional demand that is helping to spur the world's second largest economy. 

The merchandise trade surplus - the measure of all goods exported minus those imported - surged 36.9 percent to 1.147 trillion yen (US$10.44 billion) from the same month a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said.