TOKYO—Japan recorded a record high trade deficit for 2022 of 19.97 trillion yen ($156 billion) as energy imports surged, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
The deficit was the biggest since Japan began keeping comparable records in 1979, the ministry said.
Both imports and exports jumped to record highs.
Exports, led by autos, rose 18 percent from the year before, to 98 trillion yen ($766 billion). Imports, including oil, coal, and natural gas, rose 39 percent on year to 118 trillion yen ($922 billion).
Resource-scarce Japan imports almost all its oil, and prices for crude oil and other commodities surged last year.
The value of the Japanese yen fell against the U.S. dollar and other currencies, meanwhile, as central banks raised interest rates to fight inflation….