Mubasher: Kuwait's trade surplus with Japan declined by 18.3% year-on-year to $552 million in August, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

Kuwaiti exports to Japan went down by 18.2% year-on-year to $649 million in August, while the GCC country’s imports from Japan also decreased by 18.2% to $97 million in the same period.

Middle East's trade surplus with Japan dropped 36.3% to $5 billion last month, as Japanese exports from the region declined by 29.8% from the year-ago period.

“Crude oil, refined products, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other natural resources, which accounted for 95.1% of the region's total exports to Japan, fell 30.9%. The region's overall imports from Japan edged up 0.7% on strong demand for automobiles and steel,” KUNA reported.