YURI KAGEYAMA 东京 —— 据政府周三发布的数据，由于伊朗战争导致石油进口价格飙升，日本上半个财政年度（4月至9月）的贸易逆差达到 2.81 万亿日元（约合 178 亿美元）。
YURI KAGEYAMA TOKYO — Japan’s trade deficit reached 2.81 trillion yen ($17.8 billion) for the first fiscal half, according to government data released Wednesday, as the war in Iran sent oil import prices soaring.
财务省的初步数据显示，日本 4 月至 9 月期间的出口额同比增长 18.4%，达到 63.5 万亿日元；进口额激增至 66.3 万亿日元，同比增长 20.4%。
The Finance Ministry’s preliminary data showed that Japan’s exports for the April-September period grew 18.4% from the same period the previous year to 63.5 trillion yen, while imports soared to 66.3 trillion yen, up 20.4% year-over-year.
两者均创下日本有记录以来的最高值。石油价格飙升波及塑料制品、航运成本等广泛领域。
Both were record highs for Japan. The soaring price of oil affects a wide range of sectors, including plastic goods and shipping costs.
资源贫乏的日本几乎完全依赖进口石油，并一直依靠中东霍尔木兹海峡的通道进行石油运输。该通道如今基本被切断，日本不得不支付更高费用，从其他航线获取货源。
Resource-poor Japan imports virtually all its oil and has relied on access to the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East for its oil shipments. That’s now basically blocked, and Japan has had to pay more to get shipments from other routes.
国际基准布伦特原油价格从 2 月的每桶 70 美元飙升至近期的每桶 100 美元左右，此前几个月曾一度冲破每桶 110 美元。分析人士表示，油价短期内不太可能回落。
Brent crude, the international standard, has soared from $70 a barrel in February to about $100 a barrel lately, after shooting up to above $110 a barrel in recent months. Analysts say prices are unlikely to ease soon.
单看 9 月份，日本贸易逆差总计 5366 亿日元，连续第五个月出现逆差，但较 8 月的 1.1 万亿日元有所收窄。
For the month of September, Japan’s trade deficit totaled 536.6 billion yen, marking the fifth month of deficits, but down from 1.1 trillion yen in August.
日本 9 月进口额同比增长 18.9%，出口额增长 16.7%。
Japan’s September imports grew 18.9% from the previous year, while exports rose 16.7%.
一个痛点是日元走弱，推高了进口成本。美元近期在 150 日元水平徘徊。
One sore point is the weakening yen, which drives up the cost of imports. The U.S. dollar is lately trading at 150-yen levels.
日本央行多年来维持借贷成本在零或接近零水平，以支撑摇摇欲坠的经济，近期一直在逐步加息，部分原因是为了支撑日元。
The central bank, which kept borrowing costs at below or near zero for years to help keep a shaky economy going, has been gradually raising interest rates, in part to prop up the yen.
上个月，日本央行将基准利率从 1.0% 上调至 1.25%，创 31 年新高。其货币政策委员会下周将再次召开会议。该行设定的通胀目标约为 2%。
Last month, the Bank of Japan raised the benchmark interest rate to 1.25% from 1.0%, a 31-year high. Its monetary policy board meets again next week. The bank has an inflation target of about 2%.
日本政府一再强调正在与日本央行密切合作。高市早苗首相领导的政府承诺将食品税率从8%降至1%，以帮助低收入家庭应对物价飙升。该法案目前正在国会审议中。Yuri Kageyama is on
The Japanese government has repeatedly stressed it’s working closely with the Bank of Japan. The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is promising a tax cut on food to 1% from 8% to help lower-income families cope with soaring prices. That bill is now being debated in Parliament. Yuri Kageyama is on