Japan posted a 43 billion yen ($300 million) trade surplus in June, returning to the black for the first time in nearly two years amid robust U.S.-bound exports and falling energy import costs, government data showed Thursday. For the first six months of 2023, resource-poor Japan ran a trade deficit of 6.96 trillion yen, though it was almost 13 percent lower than a year ago. In June, robust U.S. demand for cars and construction machinery boosted Japan's overall exports by 1.5 percent to 8.74 trillion yen. Imports dropped 12.9 percent to 8.70 trillion yen as those of crude oil coal and liquefied natural gas all fell. ... (full story)