TOKYO: Oil imports from Saudi Arabia and the UAE reached nearly 80 percent of the total of Japanese imports in June 2022.

Kuwait and Qatar both supplied 14 percent making the Arab share 94.7 percent (64.82 million barrels) of the total, according to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. 

Saudi Arabia provided 27.39 million barrels (40 percent), an increase from the previous month of 27.10 million barrels, 27.14 million barrels came from UAE (39.7 percent). Kuwait provided 5.7 million barrels (8.3 percent) and Qatar supplied 4.57 million barrels (6.7 percent).

The rest of the imports in June came from Central and South America (3.6 percent), Southeast Asia (0.1 percent), and Oceania (0.2 percent), which shows a record increase in Japan’s dependence on the oil of Arab countries. Crude oil imports from the USA amounted to 1.5 percent of the total.

In June, for the first time in years, there were no oil imports from Russia. 

The figures cited represent the quantities of oil that arrived at refineries, tanks and warehouses in ports in Japan during June 2022. Japan uses oil to generate about a third of its energy needs.