*Japan’s crude and condensate imports stabilized for 2021 having fallen to a 40-year low the previous year (MEES, 29 January 2021). Volumes edged up by 20,000 b/d to 2.49mn b/d for 2021.

*Whilst Mideast and Opec producers have been steadily losing market share in other key Asian markets such as India (MEES, 4 February) and South Korea (MEES, 14 January), last year saw them gain market share in Japan. Indeed, Mideast producers’ overall Japan market share of 92.7% for 2021 was a record high (see chart, and table for full data). (CONTINUED - 371 WORDS)