Japan refiners may cut iran oil imports: PAJ

摘要

Tokyo-Japan's government may have stopped well short of giving the US a promise to slash oil imports from Iran, but the head of a key industry body said January 19 the country's refiners are expected to reduce their purchas- es of Iranian crude oil when contracts running from April to March come up for renewal. Akihiko Tembo, president of the Petroleum Association of Japan (PAJ) and also chairman of refiner Idemitsu Kosan, told reporters in Tokyo that the government could not force com- panies to stop buying Iranian oil but that refin- ers were nevertheless likely to reduce volumes.