BY TORU NAKAGAWA STAFF WRITER
An LNG tanker arrives at a thermal power plant in Niigata Prefecture. Japan's energy imports have pushed up the country's trade deficit. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Japan will likely post a trade deficit of 6.8 trillion yen ($83 billion) in fiscal 2013, putting it in the red for a third straight year, an association of Japanese trading companies said.