Minister: Saudi supplies Japan with 40% of its oil needs

Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman said yesterday that since 2021, the kingdom has become the largest oil supplier to Japan, fulfilling 40 per cent of its total needs, Anadolu news agency reported.

Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) ahead of the arrival of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the kingdom yesterday, the minister said the kingdom will continue cooperating with Tokyo on clean hydrogen, ammonia and recycled carbon fuels.

“The relationship between the Kingdom and Japan in the field of energy has been going on for more than half a century… We also pay attention to adherence to the principles of the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and to focus on emissions rather than energy sources,” he added.

He stressed the continuation of joint cooperation between the two countries in the field of other energy sources.

According to the Saudi minister, the kingdom’s imports from Japan in the energy sector amounted to nearly 12 billion riyals ($3.2 billion) over the past five years; most were in the gas and petrochemical sectors.

Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of crude oil in OPEC, with a daily average production of 11 million barrels in normal conditions, while Japan imports about 2.3 million barrels per day.

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