Japan posted a record current account surplus last year. The weaker yen boosted gains on foreign investment.

The Finance Ministry says the nation's surplus in 2024 reached 29.2 trillion yen, or about 192 billion dollars. That's the most since comparable data became available in 1985.

The current account is a key measure of Japan's earnings from trade and investment with the rest of the world.

The primary income account had a record surplus of 40.2 trillion yen, or around 264 billion dollars. The weaker yen inflated the value of dividends Japanese firms earned from their overseas subsidiaries.

Meanwhile, the trade account logged a smaller deficit than a year before, of 25.6 billion dollars.

Higher crude oil prices continued to push up the value of imports. But exports also grew on robust demand for automobiles and chip-making equipment.