Japan’s Ministry of Finance says Japan posted a current account surplus of more than one-point-one trillion yen in February.

The ministry says, however, the country posted a trade deficit of 28-point-three billion yen in February. A ministry official says the deficit continued for five straight months, the longest since the compilation of related data began in January 1985.

U.S. financial daily The Wall Street Journal attributes Japan’s current account surplus to the country’s profit from overseas investments and bullish auto exports to the U.S.

But the U.S. daily says pessimists warn Japan’s current account balance could swing to a deficit within several years if its balance of trade continues to worsen.