Koji Kobayashi Growth Quotations

The wider-than-expected deficit is due to high oil prices, which have now peaked. The growth in the value of imports will not last as we expect crude prices will cool later this year.

Aside from the effects of high oil prices, growth in imports in general can be interpreted as a sign that domestic demand is robust, another reason to say the Japanese economy is on the right track.

A surge of some 20 percent in exports in February reflects the booming global economy, one example of which is growth in vehicle exports to North America.