TOKYO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Japan's current account surplus in November expanded 54.5 percent from a year earlier to 3.35 trillion yen (about 21.3 billion U.S. dollars), as the goods trade balance shifted back to positive territory, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.

The current account balance, one of the widest gauges of international trade, logged a record high for the month of November and marked a surplus for the 22nd consecutive month, the ministry said in a preliminary report.

Japan booked a trade surplus of 97.9 billion yen, reversing a deficit of 683.3 billion yen in the previous year, as exports grew 2.8 percent to 8.91 trillion yen while imports shrank 5.7 percent to 8.81 trillion yen.

The report also said that primary income, including dividends and interest earnings from overseas investments, totaled 3.44 trillion yen, up 13.0 percent.

The services trade surplus nearly tripled to 238.6 billion yen, a record for November, driven by a growing travel balance boosted by robust inbound tourism.

A surplus in the travel balance means that spending by foreign visitors in Japan exceeded the amount spent by outbound tourists. Enditem

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