Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan’s imports of Saudi oil in May amounted to 30.44 million barrels, representing a significant 40.8 percent of the total.

During May, Japan imported 74.61 million oil barrels, of which the Arab share was 90.9 percent or 67.81 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 Japan’s oil imports. The main contribution was from five Arab countries – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Sudan, in addition to the Neutral Zone.

The UAE provided 30.42 million barrels, which accounted for 40.8 percent of the total imports. Kuwait and Qatar followed, contributing 4.23 million barrels (5.7 percent) and 1.96 million barrels (2.6 percent), respectively. The Neutral Zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, a smaller supplier, provided 0.6 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 May were sourced from the United States of America (7.9 percent), Central and South America (0.7 percent), Southeast Asia (0.4 percent) and Oceania (0.2 percent).