Japan Customs / Ministry of Finance · · Revised 1,525 series
Japan crude imports, September 2026: Saudi volume more than halves while UAE jumps
Japan imported 1.51 million tonnes (Mt) of Saudi crude oil in September 2026, down from 3.55 Mt in August. Imports from the United Arab Emirates rose to 4.15 Mt, and US crude held at 3.08 Mt.
A data update from FactIQ, written from Japan Customs / Ministry of Finance figures. What is FactIQ?
Key figures
- Japan crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia, September 2026, volume
- 1.51 Mtdown from 3.55 Mt in August
- Japan crude oil imports from the United Arab Emirates, September 2026, volume
- 4.15 Mtup from 2.38 Mt; highest monthly volume between February and September 2026
- Japan crude oil imports from the US, September 2026, value
- ¥382.2bnagainst ¥41.6bn in September 2025
- Price of US crude imported by Japan, September 2026, per kilogram
- ¥124/kgabout; versus roughly ¥115/kg for Saudi and ¥119/kg for UAE crude
Japan is buying far less crude from Saudi Arabia than earlier this year
Crude oil is Japan's main imported fuel, so a change in where it comes from affects energy costs and supply security. Since the US-Iran war began, Japan has bought much less crude from Saudi Arabia.
- Saudi Arabia: 1.51 million tonnes (Mt) in September, worth ¥173.5bn (billion yen). August was 3.55 Mt (¥424.3bn).
- September's Saudi volume was less than half of August's. It was well below the monthly range of 4.5–6.7 Mt seen from January to March.
- United Arab Emirates (UAE): 4.15 Mt (¥493.0bn), up from 2.38 Mt. This was the highest monthly volume between February and September 2026.
US crude has become a large, steady source, but it costs more
Japan bought ¥382.2bn of US crude in September, against ¥41.6bn in September 2025. Volume was 3.08 Mt, close to August's 3.03 Mt. Imports have been above 2 Mt every month since June, compared with 0.46 Mt in May.
US crude cost about ¥124 per kilogram (kg). Saudi crude cost roughly ¥115/kg and UAE crude ¥119/kg. Moving away from Middle East supply therefore costs Japanese buyers more. The US price has eased from about ¥141/kg in July. It is still far above the ¥84/kg of December 2025.
Other energy and technology trade moved in both directions
- Imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Australia rose to ¥236.4bn, up from ¥137bn in May.
- Imports of Australian coking and bituminous coal fell to ¥144.6bn, from ¥171bn in July.
- Exports of chipmaking equipment to China were ¥159.4bn. That was up from ¥136.8bn in August and ¥133.7bn a year earlier.
August figures were revised as preliminary numbers were replaced with confirmed ones. Most changes were small.
Source: Japan Customs / Ministry of Finance. See all JCUS data in FactIQ.