TOKYO, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Japan booked a goods trade deficit in July, the government said in a report on Monday.
According to the Finance Ministry, the trade deficit in the recording month stood at 249.6 billion yen (2.34 billion U.S. dollars).
The ministry said that exports in July dropped 1.6 percent from a year earlier.
Imports, meanwhile, declined 1.2 percent from a year earlier, the ministry's preliminary data showed.