61.   So it is now with the Japanese trade surplus, which is vanishing before our eyes.

62.   Some Japanese officials are trying to make light of the alleged spying incident, in which the CIA reportedly tapped the telephone calls of top Japanese trade negotiators.

63.   Some analysts blame the gap on unfair Japanese trade practices, others on insufficient U.S. savings.

64.   Such assurances are something short of an ironclad commitment, but many Japanese trade accords have been infused with the same vagueness.

65.   Takeo Hiranuma, the Japanese trade minister, met in Beijing on Friday with his Chinese counterpart, Shi Guangsheng.

66.   That and a shrinking Japanese trade surplus with the U.S. have weakened the yen and strengthened the dollar.

67.   That would be could for the dollar because it could lead to a smaller Japanese trade surplus with the U.S.

68.   The burgeoning Japanese trade surplus hurts the dollar because it means more dollars in the hands of Japanese exporters to sell for yen to bring profits home.

69.   The burgeoning Japanese trade surplus hurts the dollar because it means Japanese exporters have more dollars to sell for yen when they bring profits home.

70.   The declining Japanese trade surplus means fewer dollars in the hands of Japanese exporters to sell for yen to bring profits home.