Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan’s imports of Saudi oil in April amounted to 27.10 million barrels, representing more than a third (36.3 percent) of total crude oil imports.

During April, Japan imported 74.77 million barrels of oil, of which the Arab share was 94.1 percent or 70.40 million barrels, as reported by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Agency of Natural Resources and Energy.

The strategic importance of Arab countries in Japan’s energy security is highlighted by their significant contribution to its oil imports. The crude oil imports came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Sudan.

The UAE provided 34 million barrels, which accounted for 45.5 percent of the total imports. Qatar and Kuwait followed, contributing 5.25 million barrels (7 percent), 2.79 million barrels (3.7 percent), respectively. Oman provided 1.2 percent and Sudan 0.4 percent of Japan’s total imports.

Japan’s political considerations continue to shape its oil import market. With the ongoing ban on importing oil from Iran and Russia, the rest of Japan’s oil imports in April were sourced from the United States of America (3.9 percent), Ecuador (1.4 percent), Brunei (0.4 percent), and Oceania (0.1 percent).