Japan’s trade surplus with the U.S. rose...

Japan’s trade surplus with the U.S. rose 6% in July from a year earlier even though its global trade surplus fell almost 15%, Japanese officials reported. The bigger surplus with the United States was attributed to record Japanese exports and a drop-off in purchases of gold, which was bought heavily last year to mint coins for the 60th anniversary of Emperor Hirohito’s reign. Japanese officials welcomed the shrinkage in the global surplus.