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Japan expects lower oil imports but will not add reserve releases
Japan’s economy minister said September imports are projected at 80% of the 2025 monthly average, with tankers rerouted around the Red Sea and delivery times lengthening.
Japan expects its oil imports next month to be lower than this month, but will not release additional crude from national storage, according to remarks by the country’s economy minister reported by OilPrice.
The minister, Ryosei Akazawa, said September oil imports are seen at 80% of the average monthly level for 2025, while August imports had been at 100% of the 2025 monthly total.
OilPrice said the shift is linked to tanker traffic being redirected from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to the Suez Canal due to Yemeni Houthi threats in the Red Sea chokepoint, extending travel time from about 23 days via Bab el-Mandeb to more than twice as long, about 55 days, via Suez.
OilPrice added that Japan already announced a release of 80 million barrels of crude and fuels in March in response to Middle East supply disruptions, an amount equivalent to 50 days of demand for one of the world’s biggest energy importers.
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