Japan reported a smaller than expected June current account surplus. Seasonally, June tends experience deterioration from May. In fact, only twice in the past ten years has the current account improved in June over May.

On the other hand, investors can look forward to improvement in July. Since 2003 without fail, Japan's current account position improved in July over June.

One of the factors behind the broader deterioration of Japan's trade balance has been the fact that it has relied almost exclusively on energy imports since shutting down its own nuclear plants in 2011. However, starting tomorrow Kyushu Electric will begin bringing online a reactor at its Sendai facility. By the end of next month, operations are expected to return to normal. Another nuclear plant, part of the same facility, and has received regulatory approval, is expected to re-start around the middle of October.

Over time, the return of Japan's nuclear energy capabilities will likely help Japan's trade balance, even if adding to the world's glut of oil. It is very controversial in Japan (one poll had 57% opposed) and is unlikely to help Abe or his cabinet support ratings which have fallen recently.

With Japan's current account figures, the Ministry of finance also provides a country breakdown of Japanese investors' activity in foreign bond markets. Japanese investors moved away from the larger deeper bond markets. They bought more Swedish and Dutch bonds than any other countries in June. They bought JPY173 bln of Swedish bonds after purchasing JPY34 bln in May (and selling JPY24 bln in April). Japanese investors also bought JPY104 bln of Dutch bonds on top of the JPY168 bln bought in May. British gilts were third on the shopping list, as Japanese investors bought JPY82 bln. Of note, Japanese investors bought JPY17 bln of Chinese bonds.

In June, Japanese investors sold a record amount of French bonds (JPY1.182 trillion) and sold German bunds (JPY866 bln) for a fourth consecutive month. They sold Italy bonds (JPY220 bln) after buying them in April and May (JPY358 bln over the two-month period). Japanese investors were also sellers of Brazilian (JPY41 bln) and Mexican (JPY39 bln) bonds in June.