【Skill 4】Find where the cause of a change in imports and exports, a changes in a balance, etc. appears from により (due to)
In order to understand the cause of a change in imports and exports, a balance, etc., learn the following expressions. The cause appears before により (due to), and the kind of change appears after it.
■ により (due to)
What has changed appears either before により (due to) or before the は ([topic marker]) or が ([subject marker]) that comes after it. In the following sentence, 輸入 (imports) appears before the は ([topic marker]) before により (due to), so the sentence is about changes in imports. The cause of前年比約12.1％の増加になった (increased by about 12.1 % from the previous year) is 火力発電燃料の需要増 (an increase in demand for thermal power generation fuel), which appears before により (due to).
■ 輸入は火力発電燃料の需要増により、前年比約12.1％の増加になった (Imports increased by about 12.1 % from the previous year due to an increase in demand for thermal power generation fuel)
In the following sentence, 輸出 (exports) appears before the が ([subject marker]) that comes after により (due to), so the sentence is about changes in exports. The cause of 減少した (decreased) is 世界景気の減速 (a global economic slowdown), which appears before により (due to).
■ 世界景気の減速により、輸出が減少した (Exports decreased due to a global economic slowdown)
Sometimes を背景とした (caused by) may appear before により (due to). What appears before を背景とした (caused by) is not the direct cause of the change that appears after により (due to). In the following sentence, 貿易収支 (trade balance) appears before the が ([subject marker]) after により (due to), so the sentence is about changes in the trade balance. The cause of 3年ぶりの赤字となった (went into a deficit for the first time in 3 years) is 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), which appears before により (due to). The direct cause of 3年ぶりの赤字となった (went into a deficit for the first time in 3 years) is 輸出の減少 (a decrease in exports), which appears immediately before により (due to), while the cause of 輸出の減少 (a decrease in exports) is 世界景気の減速 (a global economic slowdown), which appears before を背景とした (caused by).
■ 世界景気の減速を背景とした輸出の減少により、貿易収支が3年ぶりの赤字となった (The trade balance went into a deficit for the first time in 3 years due to a decrease in exports caused by a global economic slowdown)