Crude oil imports in November grew 13.3 percent from a year earlier to 111.65 million barrels, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy said Friday.
Oil from the Middle East accounted for 85.9 percent of the total, up 4.4 percentage points, the agency under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report.
Saudi Arabia remained Japan's biggest oil supplier, exporting 38.24 million barrels, up 13.5 percent. The United Arab Emirates was second with 29.00 million barrels, up 33.8 percent, followed by Qatar with 13.40 million barrels, up 67.3 percent.
A barrel holds about 159 liters.
Japan's output of petroleum products in November rose 7.7 percent from a year ago to 15.68 million kiloliters, up for the seventh month straight. Domestic sales of such products rose 1.8 percent to 16.86 million kl.