TOKYO: Japan's crude oil imports from Iran in July rose 38.3 percent from a month earlier to 847,951 kilolitres, or 172,047 barrels per day, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) data showed on Friday.
Japan imported no Iranian oil in July 2012 for the first time since 1981 as Iran's third-biggest oil buyer reined in its appetite to avoid falling foul of European Union sanctions targeting insurance.
Japan's imports from the OPEC nation rose for a third straight month on a year-on-year basis last month to offset steep cuts made in April due to uncertainties over the sovereign insurance on tankers carrying Iranian oil.
Japan, China, India and South Korea, which take the bulk of Iran's crude exports, have been pressured to curtail Iranian oil purchases by Western sanctions aimed at cutting oil funds to the OPEC producer to limit progress on its disputed nuclear programme. (Reuters)
