Kuwait city: Kuwait's crude oil exports to Japan surged by 38.9 percent in August compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of 5.33 million barrels, or 172,000 barrels per day (bpd). This marks the first increase in four months, as revealed by government data on Tuesday.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Kuwait has become Japan's third-largest oil provider, accounting for 7.8 percent of Japan's total crude imports in August. This is a significant increase from the 5.5 percent recorded in the same month last year, as indicated by the Japanese Natural Resources and Energy Agency's preliminary report. The report also highlighted that Japan's overall crude oil imports in August decreased by 1.9 percent year-on-year to 2.22 million bpd, marking a decline for the third consecutive month. Crude shipments from the Middle East constituted 95.8 percent of Japan's total imports, reflecting a 1.0 percentage point increase from the previous year.
Saudi Arabia regained its position as the top oil supplier to Japan, with imports rising by 10.4 percent from the previous year to 967,000 bpd. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) followed with 908,000 bpd, experiencing a decrease of 11.3 percent. The United States ranked fourth with 69,000 bpd, and Qatar came fifth with 48,000 bpd. Japan remains the world's third-largest oil consumer, following China and the United States.