Tokyo, May 29 (SANA) Official Japanese data released on Friday showed that the country’s crude oil imports fell by nearly 66 percent in April compared with the same month a year earlier, amid the ongoing repercussions of the US Israeli–Iranian war in the Middle East on oil supplies from the region.
Reuters quoted Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as saying in a statement that Japan, the world’s fifth largest crude importer, imported 850,000 barrels per day of crude oil in April.
The data showed that Japanese crude imports from the Middle East dropped by 68 percent, with shipments from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—the country’s two largest suppliers—falling by 60 percent or more.
The ministry noted that while several crude tankers left the Arabian Gulf region during the current month, energy flows through the main maritime corridor remain far below prewar levels. This has led oil refineries in Japan and other parts of Asia to increase production cuts in April and May due to the shortage of supplies.
Earlier government data released on May 21 showed that Japan recorded a trade surplus in April, against a sharp decline in crude oil imports from the Middle East.
KhA