Japan Posts Record Annual Trade Deficit as Import Bill Soars

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-26/japan-record-annual-trade-deficit-shows-import-drag-on-recovery.html

Over the past 18 months, Japan has seen consistent trade deficits due to nuclear plant shutdowns and importation of energy. This trend seems most likely to continue, as the value of the Yen decreases and their exportation see limited gains.  Though Japan saw their exports increase by 15% in December, their imports had also increased by 25%.  In 2013, Japan saw its highest trade deficit ever.The yearly shortfall was 11.5 trillion yen, which was almost double from what they had seen the previous year. Japanese Economist Takeshi Minami stated, "It's hard to anticipate when Japan can emerge from trade deficits at this point". The reason why Japan's exports haven't seen the growth they're expecting is due to the high cost of importing energy. This is a problem for Japan, as companies are reluctant to relocate to a "high-cost country".