Japan resumes Russian crude oil imports after over 2-year hiatus

Japan has resumed importing Russian crude oil after over a two-year hiatus, receiving a shipment via a tanker that is under US and EU sanctions, Nikkei Asia reported on Thursday.

According to data from ship-tracking firm Kpler, the sanctioned vessel, Voyager, delivered the crude to a Taiyo Oil refinery on June 8. Taiyo Oil confirmed the purchase.

The company said that it bought the crude at the request of the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy, which operates under Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry. A ministry official confirmed this request.

The Voyager picked up the crude in late May from the Sakhalin 2 oil and gas project.

Despite international sanctions, Japan is allowed to import this oil due to the vital importance of the supply for the country's energy security.

An official from the ministry stated that they had confirmed with US authorities that, due to a waiver, there was no risk of secondary sanctions from importing oil using a sanctioned vessel.

Before the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, Japan was a consistent importer of Russian oil. However, despite receiving a waiver from the US and the EU on energy security grounds, Japan had not imported any since January 2023.

Separately, China on Thursday pushed back on Western sanctions targeting Russia.

"Most countries, including those in Europe and North America, continue to maintain trade relations with Russia. Normal exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Russian enterprises are in line with World Trade Organization rules and market principles, and should not be disrupted or affected," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.

Lin was reacting to reports that the EU was allegedly planning sanctions on two small Chinese banks for trade with Russia.