TOKYO — Japan recorded a trade deficit in its April-March fiscal year but racked up a surplus with the U.S., the Finance Ministry reported Thursday.

Japan’s global trade deficit totaled $37 billion for the fiscal year through March, for the fourth straight year of deficits, according to the provisional statistics. The surplus with the U.S. ballooned to $63 billion.

Japan’s annual exports climbed 5.9% from a year earlier, helped by strong shipments of goods like computer chips and vehicles.

Exports to the U.S. are a contentious issue for President Donald Trump, and Japanese negotiators are in Washington to argue their case against higher U.S. tariffs. Japan is a major investor in the U.S., employing hundreds of thousands of Americans. — Associated Press