Saudi Arabia remained as Japan's major supplier of crude oils in 2011 with a value of USD 46.9 billion and a share of 33.04% of the total crude oil imports of Japan from over the world.
The United Arab Emirates followed at the 2nd position with a value of USD 33.1 billion and a share of 23.29%. The GCC countries jointly supplied just above 75% of Japan's total crude oil requirements in 2011, making the GCC block Japan's crucial partner in her energy security. Other major suppliers of crude oils to Japan were Iran, Russia, Indonesia, Iraq, Sudan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Australia.
While crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia and the UAE increased in volume and value, imports from Qatar, Kuwait and Oman decreased. Outside the GCC, while Japan's crude oil imports from Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam registered considerable increases in 2011, imports from Iran, Russia, Iraq and Australia made major decreases.
GCC has also been a major source of petroleum gases to Japan and in 2011, Japan imported a quantity of 31.54 million tons of petroleum gases from the GCC countries. The different types of petroleum gases that Japan imported from the GCC were liquefied natural gas, liquefied propane gas and liquefied butane gas. The average price of petroleum gases in 2011 increased by 25.84% to USD 799.21 per ton compared to USD 635.10 in 2010.
GCC's supply of petroleum gases to Japan covered 31.40% of Japan's total petroleum gases imports in 2011. Qatar was the major supplier of gases to Japan among the GCC countries, followed by UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Outside the GCC, the major suppliers of gases to Japan were Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia and Brunei.
Source: Ame Info