Japan's current account surplus hits record low

Japan's current account surplus for fiscal 2012 decreased to its lowest-ever level, down 43.6 percent from the previous year, according to government data released Friday.

In fiscal 2012 ending March 31, Japan registered a current account surplus of 4.29 trillion yen, the finance ministry said in a preliminary report.

The surplus in the balance, one of the widest gauges of international trade, stood at 1.25 trillion yen in March, according to the ministry. The balance logged a surplus for the second straight month.