TOKYO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan booked a goods trade surplus in March, the government said in a report on Wednesday.

According to the Finance Ministry, the trade surplus in the recording month stood at 528.5 billion yen (4.71 billion U.S. dollars).

The ministry said that exports in March dropped 2.4 percent from a year earlier.

Imports, meanwhile, increased 1.1 percent from a year earlier, the ministry's data showed.

Japan logged a trade deficit of 1.59 trillion (14.18 billion yen) for fiscal 2018 through March, the Finance Ministry said.