Japan’s crude oil imports rose 17% in July from a year earlier as a surge in U.S. shipments and a recovery in purchases from Saudi Arabia offset lower supplies from other Middle Eastern producers, official data showed on Monday.
Imports rose to 2.38 million barrels per day (11.72 million kilolitres), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said, marking a second consecutive monthly increase despite disruptions linked to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Imports from the Middle East fell 21.4% in July. Shipments from Japan’s two largest suppliers, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, declined 18.4% and 7.4%, respectively.
However, the drop was less severe than declines of 68% in April, 49.7% in May and 32.4% in June.
Meanwhile, imports from the United States jumped nearly fivefold from a year earlier to about 879,800 bpd (4.34 million kl). Japan also imported crude from Ecuador, Mexico, Vietnam and South Sudan.
The Middle East accounted for 94% of Japan’s crude imports in 2025. In July, that share fell to 58.9%, marking a 10th consecutive year-on-year decline.
(1 kilolitre equals 6.2898 barrels)
(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi. Editing by Mark Potter)