Japan's Crude Imports Down So Far This Year

摘要

Japan's crude oil imports slid 3% from year-earlier levels in the first three quarters of 2011 to an average of 3.558 million bar- rels per day, according to data released on Monday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Meti). But the data show that imports in Septem- ber rose 5% year-on-year to 3.602 million b/d, and were just over 1% higher than in August on a barrel-per-day basis, ending six consecutive months of decline. Until Sep- tember, demand for crude oil and products had been falling since the Mar. 11 earth- quake and tsunami devastated parts of northeastern Japan.