Saudi Aramco boosts market share in Japan

Saudi Aramco has raised its market share in Japan by selling more expensive light crude to the country, in order to offset lower revenue from implementing OPEC output cuts, Reuters reported Thursday, citing sources close to the matter.

Japan's imports of Saudi crude between January and June grew by 7.7 percent year-on year (YoY) to 1.3 million bpd, according to trade flows data on Thomson Reuters Eikon.

The increase was mainly driven by more supplies of Arab Extra Light being delivered, as state-run Aramco offered extra cargoes on top of contracted volumes to companies in Japan, its biggest Asian market.

Japan is viewed as a premium market by crude exporters in the Middle East as Japanese refiners pay more than other Asian customers to secure supply.

In May, the country’s spending on oil jumped 73 percent YoY to JPY 3.82 trillion amid higher oil prices and imports, according to the Japanese Ministry of Finance.