Kuwait's oil exports to Japan hit nine-month high - official data

TOKYO, Feb 28 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's crude oil exports to Japan in January hit a nine-month high of 9.88 million barrels, or 319,000 barrels per day (bpd), government data showed Friday.
Kuwait's oil bound for Japan surged 43.4 percent from a year earlier, marking the second straight month of expansion, the Japanese Natural Resources and Energy Agency said in a preliminary report.
The volume was the biggest since April 2019, when it recorded 330,000 bpd. Kuwait overtook Qatar to become Japan's third-biggest oil provider last month, supplying 10.8 percent of the Asian nation's total crude imports.
Japan's overall imports of crude oil slid 9.3 percent year-on-year to 2.95 million bpd for the first decline in two months. Shipments from the Middle East accounted for 93.4 percent of the total, up 5.3 percentage points from the year before.
Saudi Arabia remained Japan's No.1 oil supplier, although imports from the kingdom plunged 21.0 percent from a year earlier to 1.07 million bpd, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 943,000 bpd, up 11.9 percent. Qatar ranked fourth with 300,000 bpd and Russia fifth with 106,000 bpd, respectively.
Japan is the world's-third biggest oil consumer after China and the US. (end) mk.mt