TOKYO, Dec 26 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's crude oil exports to Japan in November declined 28.1 percent from a year earlier to 3.73 million barrels, or 124,000 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 5.1 percent of its total crude imports, compared with 7.3 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 November grew 2.6 percent year-on-year to 2.43 million bpd, up for the second month in a row. Shipments from the Middle East accounted for 92.1 percent of the total, down 3.0 percentage points from the year before.
By country, Saudi Arabia returned to the top spot, with imports from the kingdom increasing 2.5 percent from the year before to 1.07 million bpd, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 948,000 bpd, up 4.8 percent. The US ranked third with 130,000 bpd and Qatar fifth with 91,000 bpd, respectively.
Japan is the world's-third biggest oil consumer after China and the US. (end) mk.rk