Japan’s July 2026 Crude Oil Import Surge
Japan’s crude oil imports rose 17% year‑on‑year in July 2026, reaching 2.38 million barrels per day, according to data released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) on 31 August 2026. This marks the second consecutive month of import growth.
The increase was driven primarily by a sharp rise in shipments from the United States, which jumped nearly fivefold compared with July 2025 to approximately 879,800 barrels per day. Additional purchases from Saudi Arabia also recovered, helping to offset reduced supplies from other Middle Eastern producers.
Imports from the broader Middle East fell 21.4% YoY in July. Japan’s two largest Middle‑Eastern suppliers saw declines of 18.4% for the United Arab Emirates and 7.4% for Saudi Arabia. These drops were less severe than the 68% decline in April, 49.7% in May, and 32.4% in June.
Japan also sourced crude in July from Ecuador, Mexico, Vietnam, and South Sudan, diversifying its supply mix.
The share of Middle‑Eastern crude in Japan’s total imports fell from 94% in 2025 to 58.9% in July 2026, representing the tenth consecutive year‑on‑year decline in the region’s share.