【Skill 3】Find where the cause of a change in imports and exports, demand, etc. appears from を背景 ([object marker] + background)
In order to understand the cause of a change in imports and exports, demand, etc., learn the following expressions. The cause appears before these expressions, and the kind of change appears after them.
■ を背景に (because of)
■ を背景として (because of)
What has changed appears either before the は ([topic marker]) before を背景に (because of) or を背景として (because of), or before the が ([subject marker]) that comes after either of these. In the following sentence, 輸入額 (import value) appears before the は ([topic marker]) before を背景に (because of), so the sentence is about changes in import value. The cause of 前年比5.7％増の85兆9,091億円となった (increased by 5.7% from the previous year to 85.9091 trillion yen) is 電気機器の輸入増 (an increase in imports of electrical equipment), which appears before を背景に (because of).
■ 輸入額は電気機器の輸入増を背景に、前年比5.7％増の85兆9,091 億円となった (Import value increased by 5.7% from the previous year to 85.9091 trillion yen because of an increase in imports of electrical equipment)
In the following sentence, 輸入額 (import value) appears before the が ([subject marker]) that comes after を背景として (because of), so the sentence is about changes in import value. The cause of 4年連続で増加した (increased for 4 years in a row) is 好調な内需 (strong domestic demand), which appears before を背景として (because of).
■ 好調な内需等を背景として、輸入額が4年連続で増加した (Import value increased for 4 years in a row because of strong domestic demand)
Also, if the following expression appears, the cause appears before it and what has changed appears immediately after it.
■ を背景とした (caused by)
In the following sentence, 輸出の減少 (a decrease in exports) appears immediately after を背景とした (caused by) and 世界景気の減速 (a global economic slowdown) appears after it, so the cause of 輸出の減少 (a decrease in exports) is 世界景気の減速 (a global economic slowdown).
■ 世界景気の減速を背景とした輸出の減少 (a decrease in exports caused by a global economic slowdown)