JAPAN

Trade Surplus Jumps 30%: Japan’s trade surplus jumped nearly 30% to $7.11 billion in August from a year earlier, the Ministry of Finance said. Japan’s sluggish domestic economy caused imports to fall, which swelled the surplus, a ministry official said. Economists said the trend of a widening surplus in the current account, the widest trade measure, would not change until the domestic economy picks up. Japan may come under pressure from other nations to take further measures to get its economy moving, possibly including a cut in the discount rate.