Kuwait's Sept. crude oil exports to Japan down 20.8 pct

TOKYO, Oct 31 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's crude oil exports to Japan in September fell 20.8 percent from a year earlier to 3.36 million barrels, or 112,000 barrels per day (bpd), down for the first time in two months, government data showed Friday.
As Japan's fourth-biggest oil provider, Kuwait supplied 4.8 percent of its total crude imports, compared with 5.8 percent in the same month of last year, the Japanese Natural Resources and Energy Agency said in a preliminary report.
Japan's overall imports of crude oil in September slid 2.9 percent year-on-year to 2.36 million bpd, down for the fourth month in a row. Shipments from the Middle East accounted for 94.7 percent of the total, up 2.0 percentage points from the year before.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was Japan's top oil supplier last month, with imports from the country growing 5.1 percent from a year earlier to 1.10 million bpd, followed by Saudi Arabia with 859,000 bpd, down 7.8 percent. Qatar ranked third with 116,000 bpd and Ecuador fifth with 50,000 bpd, respectively.
Japan is the world's-third biggest oil consumer after China and the US. (end) mk.mt