Khaldon Azhari 

TOKYO: Saudi Arabia was the largest crude oil supplier to Japan in the month of December in 2021, representing 43.3% of the total imports, according to data released by the Energy Agency of the Ministry of the Economy, Trade and Industry.

In December, Japan’s dependence on GCC oil, including the neutral zone, accounted for 95.2% of total imports. 

Japan’s imports of UAE oil amounted to approximately 34 million barrels, or 36.9% of Japan’s total imports last month. 

Japan imported about 92 million barrels in December, the data showed.

In 2021 (January-December), Japan’s imports of Saudi Arabian oil amounted to 361 million barrels, or 39.1% of the total. UAE oil amounted to approximately 318 million barrels, or 35% of the total for that year, according to agency data.

The proportion of Arab Gulf oil (including the neutral zone and Iraq) that year was 843 million barrels, or 92.7% of the total. By adding countries accounting for less than 0.5% (Algeria, Libyaand Sudan), Japan’s dependence on Arab oil was nearly 93.1% of the total last year, with total imports amounting to 998.1 million barrels.