Tokyo (WAM): The United Arab Emirates exported Japan 22.778 million barrels of crude oil in December 2018, statistics released by the Agency of Energy and Natural Resource in Tokyo showed.
The import accounts for 24.5% of Japan’s total crude imports, the agency that belong to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said.
Saudi Arabia provided 39.437 million barrels, or 42.5 % of the total.
Meanwhile, Japan imported over 6 million barrels of crude oil from the United States last December 2018, marking a significant increase that put the U.S. in fourth place out of countries exporting to Japan.
According to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, American oil amounted to 6.6% of total imports, which constituted 92.8 million barrels in December.
Kuwait provided 5.5%. Oil from Iraq and Bahrain also increased in December to about 2 million barrels each, or 2.2% of total imports.
Oman and Algeria each provided 0.4% of total imports, or some 359 thousand barrels, meaning that in total Arab oil fed 86% of the oil needs of the Japanese economy during the month.
Other providers included Indonesia at 1.9%, Russia at 1.5% and Kazakhstan at 1.1%. Additionally, less than 0.05% each came from Mexico, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia and Colombia.
Japan oil imports provide about 30% of the country’s energy needs, according to official data.
