Japan Crude Imports Increased by 8 pct

Japan's crude oil imports in February rose 8.2 percent to 127.18 million barrels year-on-year, the Natural Resources and Energy Agency said Monday.

Imports from the Middle East accounted for 86.7 percent of the total, down 1.4 percentage points from a year before, the agency, under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said in a preliminary report.