Shafaq News- Tokyo

Japan’s crude oil imports fell to their lowest level since records began in 1979 after disruptions in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz sharply reduced Middle East energy supplies following the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Data released on Friday by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed the world’s fifth-largest oil importer brought in about 850,000 barrels per day of crude in April, down nearly 66% from roughly 2.1 million barrels per day a year earlier. Imports from the Middle East fell 68%, while shipments from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Japan’s two largest suppliers, dropped by more than 60%.

Japan relies on the Middle East for roughly 90% to 95% of its crude oil imports, leaving the country among the economies most exposed to prolonged disruptions in Gulf energy exports. Although several Gulf crude tankers departed this month following the partial easing of shipping restrictions, energy flows through Hormuz remain far below pre-war levels.

According to official data, the supply shock has already forced refiners in Japan and elsewhere in Asia to deepen production cuts in April and May because of reduced crude availability, while buyers increasingly turned to alternative supplies from the United States, Africa, Brazil, and other regions.