Nuclear shutdown not the main reason for surging trade deficit

The widening in Japan's trade deficit is often attributed to a surge in energy imports as a result of the nuclear shutdown. However, the jump in the energy import bill is mostly due to the impact of yen weakness and higher global oil and gas prices, as the volume of energy bought from overseas has risen only slightly. The disruption to energy supply may also have reduced the country's capacity to export, but other factors have arguably played an even bigger role.