Abe: Japan keen on Kuwait's economic development

Japanese business personnel and companies are very eager to take part in Kuwait's ambitious development plan, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe here Monday. Speaking at an economic event held at Kuwait Chamber for Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and attended by Minister of State for National Assembly and Minister of State for Development and Planning Affairs Dr. Rola Dashti, Abe said that the economic team accompanying him during his visit included senior economic leaders and representatives of major Japanese companies. He added that the delegation formation reflected Japan's keenness on Kuwait's economic development. The Japanese Premier thanked Kuwait for aiding his country during the devastating Tsunami in 2011. The support that Kuwait gave to Japan enabled companies there to get back to business, said Abe. The minister called for bolstering ties and finding new fields for cooperation. On her part, Minister Dashti thanked the Japanese Prime Minister for his sincere sentiments and eagerness to participate in Kuwait's development plan. She also provided a briefing on the government's spending for the development plan in the upcoming five years, saying that around KD 20 billion will provide funding projects worth around KD 12 billion. The step will be coordinated with the private sector through the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) system, said Dashti. Meanwhile, KCCI's first Vice Chairman Khalid Al-Sager lauded Prime Minister Abe for his strong reforms to his country's economy, dubbed as "Abenomics", saying that since December of 2012, the Japanese senior official has managed to pull Japan from its long economic recession. He revealed that the volume of commercial exchange between Kuwait and Japan had tripled up, registering USD 17.2 billion in 2012.