TOKYO: Japan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports rose to a one-year high in February, trade data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Monday, helped by cooler-than-normal weather during the peak winter demand season.
Imports by the world’s top LNG importer totaled 8.294 million tonnes last month, up 6.5 percent from a year earlier, and the highest since January 2017, the preliminary data showed. That is a record volume for imports in February.
Japan’s customs-cleared crude oil import volumes in February fell to the lowest for the month in data dating back to 1988, highlighting continued sluggish demand amid a shrinking population.
Japan imported 3.16 million barrels per day (bpd), or 14.058 million kilolitres, of crude oil last month, down 13.8 percent from the year before, the data showed. That was lower than South Korea’s oil imports last month, which totaled 3.29 million bpd.
Imports of thermal coal for power generation increased by 6.6 percent in February to 9.499 million tonnes, a record for the month.
