Japan's Crude Imports From the US Surge Eightfold to a Record 891,000 Barrels a Day in July

According to Oilprice.com, published Friday, 30 Mordad 1405 (August 21, 2026), Japan's imports of US crude surged more than eightfold in July to a record 891,000 barrels per day, accounting for 36 percent of the country's total crude inflows. Japan's imports of US liquefied natural gas also jumped 59 percent over the same month.

The surge extends Tokyo's push to diversify its energy sources away from disrupted West Asian supply amid the Strait of Hormuz blockade, aided by relatively lower US West Texas Intermediate crude prices. Japan, which sourced about 90 percent of its crude from West Asia before the US Israel war on Iran began, has increasingly turned to suppliers including Nigeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Canada and now the United States since the conflict started.