Foreign media: Japan imports Russian crude oil for the first time in more than half a year

Japan will import its first crude oil
from Russia since May, as the Japanese government urges energy importers to stock up on fuel to avoid future shortages, Bloomberg News reported on its website on December 28.
Ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg News shows that an oil tanker was heading to Japan
after loading from the facilities of the "Sakhalin 2" oil and gas project in the Russian Far East on the 28th.
Shipping data shows that Japan has not imported Russian oil
since May.
Although Japan, along with other Western allies, has imposed sanctions on Russia over the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Japan has not taken strict measures
against Russian oil and gas.
The Japanese government has said that Russia's Sakhalin 2 oil and gas project is a key source of liquefied natural gas supplies to Japan, and that importing Russian oil is important
to stabilize Japan's energy operations.
The shipment comes amid Russia's ban on the export of Russian crude and refined products to foreign buyers who comply with price caps
.
Japan said last month that cargoes from the Sakhalin-2 project would not be subject to the price cap
.

Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Japan has sharply reduced its oil imports from Russia, especially from the Sakhalin 1 oil and gas project
, as refineries seek to diversify supplies.
According to reports, a statement published on Sakhalin Energy Investment Co.
's website on Dec.
19 said that Japan's Sun Oil Co.
Ltd.
is the buyer
of the latest crude oil from Russia.