Japan energy minister emphasizes importance of Saudi and Arab suppliers

Japan energy minister emphasizes importance of Saudi and Arab suppliers

TOKYO: Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry NISHIMURA Yasutoshi requested Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to guarantee stable supply of oil. Nishimura said he had met with executives from Aramco and has proposed talks with Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud. He also met recently with Sultan Al-Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), as well as Talal Al-Awfi, Oman’s Minister of Energy and Minerals. “I requested a stable supply of oil and LNG,” Nishimura said at a press conference at the ministry in reply to a question from Arab News Japan. “I got the reply that they will continue to cooperate with us.” In the absence of imports from Iran and Russia due to sanctions enforced by the US, more than 90 percent of Japan’s supplies now come from Arab sources. “It is important for Japan, which lacks resources, to promote a stable supply of crude oil,” Nishimura said. “It is true that oil imports from Russia have stopped and dependence on the Middle East is increasing. We are making decisions on specific sources of crude oil from the perspective of the market.” “Japan