The fall to 130.01 million barrels means that – for the fifth straight month running – Japan’s crude imports have declined.
According to the agency, in its preliminary report, “Imports from the Middle East accounted for 92.6% of the total, up 12.7 percentage points from a year earlier, topping the 90% line for the first time since last October, when 91.5% was registered.”
“The United Arab Emirates remained Japan’s largest oil supplier, with imports increasing 9.8% to 35.35 million barrels, followed by Saudi Arabia with 25.66 million barrels, down 5.8%.
“Iran [is] in third place with imports from it rising 10.7% to 22.83 million barrels [and] it is followed by Kuwait, with imports from the country doubling to 14.15 million barrels, and Qatar with 12.20 million barrels, up 20.0%.,” added the agency, which is a unit of the country’s Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry.
As a result of the fall, the agency reported that domestic output of petroleum products fell to 19.17 million kilolitres (a drop of 1.6% from last year’s levels) and that domestic sales of petroleum products dropped to 21.23 million kilolitres (a fall of 4.3%).
