TOKYO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan posted a current account surplus of 2.83 trillion yen (about 18 billion U.S. dollars) in October, up 15.5 percent from a year earlier, a record for the month, the Finance Ministry said Monday.

The current account balance, one of the widest gauges of international trade, remained in the black for the ninth consecutive month, mainly due to an increase in the surplus of the country's primary income, the ministry said in a preliminary report.

Primary income, including dividends and interest earnings from overseas investments, which reflects how much Japan earned from overseas investments, grew 8.6 percent to 3.46 trillion yen, the ministry said.

Among other key components, the goods trade posted a surplus of 98.3 billion yen, a turnaround from a deficit of 152.7 billion yen a year earlier.

Exports rose 2.8 percent to 9.66 trillion yen, while imports edged up 0.1 percent to 9.56 trillion yen. Enditem