The current account surplus expanded more than six-fold in August compared with the previous year to log a surplus for the 14th consecutive month, thanks in part to foreign visitors lifting the travel surplus to a record high, the government said in a preliminary report Thursday.

The surplus in the current account balance — one of the widest gauges of a nation's international trade — ballooned about 6.6 times to ¥1.653 trillion ($13.8 billion) as falling crude prices pushed down the value of oil imports and a weaker yen boosted overseas income.

The goods trade deficit shrank 61.7 percent to ¥326.1 billion, with exports climbing 3.6 percent to ¥5.858 trillion while imports shed 4.9 percent to ¥6.184 trillion, the Finance Ministry said.