Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan imported 41.37 million barrels of crude oil from Saudi Arabia in January, accounting for 54.1 percent of its total oil imports, according to the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Agency of Natural Resources and Energy.

Arab nations accounted for 95.5 percent of Japan’s oil imports in January, reaffirming their strategic significance for Japan’s energy security.

Six Arab countries—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Sudan—together with the Neutral Zone, constituted the primary sources of Japan’s oil supply.

The United Arab Emirates supplied 26.12 million barrels, representing 34.2 percent of total imports. Kuwait contributed 2.84 million barrels (3.7 percent), and Qatar supplied 1.45 million barrels (1.9 percent).

Japan imported 0.6 percent of its oil from Oman and 0.4 percent from Sudan. The Neutral Zone contributed 0.6 percent of total imports.

In January, Japan also imported oil from the Americas, with 3.7 percent originating from the United States and 0.8 percent from Ecuador.