The volume of Japan's customs-cleared crude oil imports fell 19.3 percent in May from the same month a year earlier, while LNG imports rose 1.2 percent as gas demand for power remained high with no clear picture on a restart for nuclear energy.
Japan, the world's fourth biggest crude buyer, imported 2.73 million barrels per day (13.48 million kilolitres) of crude oil last month, preliminary data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Wednesday.
Imports of fossil fuel, especially LNG and thermal coal, have remained high as all 48 commercial nuclear reactors in Japan have been shut since last September, with no schedule for restart pending rigorous safety checks enforced after the Fukushima crisis three years ago.
Japan's imports of liquefied natural gas totalled 6.495 million tonnes last month, up 1.2 percent from a year earlier. Imports of thermal coal for power generation slumped 18.1 percent in May to 7.06 million tonnes, the data showed.
Source: Reuters
