According to Nikkei Asia's report on June 12, Japan imported crude oil originally produced in Russia for the first time since 2023. The oil was transported by a tanker that is sanctioned by the United States and the European Union. Prior to this, Japan had cooperated with Europe and America to impose a series of economic sanctions on Russia and ceased importing crude oil from Russia. Data from Kpler, a professional shipping tracking company, shows that the sanctioned tanker "Voyager" has unloaded its cargo at Sun Oil Company's refinery in Japan on June 8. It has been confirmed that the company purchased Russian crude oil. Sun Oil Company stated that this transaction was carried out at the request of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). An official from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry also confirmed this information. The report also mentioned that the "Voyager" loaded "Sakhalin Blend," marketed as crude oil from the "Sakhalin 2" oil and gas project in Russia, in late May and then transported it to Japan. Due to the critical importance of stable crude oil supply to Japan's energy security, the United States and the European Union have exempted Japan from receiving Russian crude oil.

"Sakhalin 2" offshore oilfield. "Sakhalin 2" official website.

On the other hand, according to Nikkei Asia's report, 10% of Japan's liquefied natural gas imports come from the "Sakhalin 2" project. Since the production of natural gas and crude oil from "Sakhalin 2" is technically synchronized, if excessive crude oil production leads to nearly full storage facilities, the subsequent natural gas production from the project will also decrease synchronously. Officials from METI and Sun Oil Company both stated that the purpose of this import of Russian crude oil is to "ensure the stability of liquefied natural gas supply." An official from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry also mentioned that they have verified with the U.S. side that Japan's purchase of Russian oil is within the exemption range and will not trigger the secondary sanction mechanism of the U.S. As for the EU, Nikkei Asia reported that the EU currently does not have an implementation mechanism for secondary sanctions.

Yearly line chart showing Japan's import volume of Russian crude oil. Nikkei Asia

Japan was once one of the main buyers of Russian crude oil and a major customer of "Sakhalin Blend." After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Japan implemented economic sanctions against Russia along with Europe and America. Since January 2023, Japan has not imported any Russian crude oil, although both the United States and the European Union considered Japan's need to ensure its energy security and exempted Japan from importing Russian crude oil. It is worth noting that Gazprom, Shell, Mitsui & Co., and Mitsubishi Corporation previously held shares in the "Sakhalin 2" oil and gas project. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Shell withdrew from the project, but the two large Japanese trading companies continued to retain their stakes in "Sakhalin 2." This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reproduced without permission. Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514906183967326770/ Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views. You can express your opinions by clicking the "like/dislike" buttons below.