Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan’s imports of Saudi oil in January 2025 amounted to 34 million barrels, representing a significant 41 percent of the total, as reported by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry’s Agency of Natural Resources and Energy.

During January, Japan imported 82.99 million oil barrels, of which the Arab share was 95.7 percent or 79.40 million barrels. 

The strategic importance of Arab countries in Japan’s energy security is highlighted by their significant contribution to Japan’s oil imports. The main contribution was from five Arab countries— the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman —as well as the Neutral Zone.

The UAE provided 35.31 million barrels, which accounted for 42.6 percent of the total imports. Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman followed, contributing 4.85 million barrels (5.8 percent), 2.96 million barrels (3.6 percent), 1.19 respectively. The Neutral Zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, a smaller supplier, provided 1.3 percent of Japan’s total imports.

Japan’s geopolitical decisions continue to shape its oil imports. With the ongoing ban on importing oil from Iran and Russia, the rest of its oil imports in January were sourced from the United States of America (2.6 percent of the total,),Central and South America (1.5 percent), and Oceania (0.3 percent).