Japan’s oil refining industry is a mirror of a country that relies almost entirely on crude imports. As of early 2025, the country has 19 refineries with a combined capacity of about 3.11 million barrels per day, with ENEOS being the dominant player, controlling almost half of the country’s capacity. Other key players are Idemitsu Kosan, Cosmo Oil, and Taiyo Oil.
In an effort to hedge against these risks, Japan holds large strategic oil reserves, which act as a significant cushion against short-term supply interruptions as the country pursues diversification of crude oil imports away from the Middle East.
Currently operating refineries
Japan has 19 refineries with a total designed capacity of 3,110,400 b/d (≈494,500 kℓ/d):
| Operator | Refinery | Capacity (b/d) |
|---|---|---|
| ENEOS | Mizushima | 350,200 |
| ENEOS | Kawasaki | 249,100 |
| Idemitsu Kosan | Chiba Complex | 195,000 |
| Idemitsu Kosan | Aichi Complex | 165,000 |
| Cosmo Oil | Chiba | 177,000 |
| ENEOS | Negishi | 153,000 |
| ENEOS | Sendai | 145,000 |
| Fuji Oil | Sodegaura | 143,000 |
| ENEOS | Oita | 136,000 |
| Kashima Oil | Kashima | 210,100 |
| Idemitsu Kosan | Hokkaido | 140,000 |
| ENEOS | Sakai | 141,000 |
| Cosmo Oil | Sakai | 100,000 |
| Osaka Int'l Refining Co. | Chiba | 129,000 |
| Taiyo Oil | Shikoku | 138,000 |
| ENEOS | Marifu | 128,000 |
| Cosmo Oil | Yokkaichi | 86,000 |
| TOA Oil | Keihin | 70,000 |
Japan’s refining base has shrunk from roughly 3.4 million b/d across 21 plants in 2022 to about 3.1 million b/d across 19 refineries today, driven by falling domestic fuel demand—and its crude supply has become even more concentrated in Gulf Arab states (UAE and Saudi Arabia alone now cover roughly 80–95% of imports depending on the month).
Old: capacity that’s left the system
Several refineries have shut permanently over the last decade as domestic fuel demand shrinks:
| Refinery (old operator) | Old capacity (b/d) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmo Oil – Sakaide | 140,000 | Closed 2013, converted to oil terminal |
| Idemitsu Kosan – Tokuyama | 120,000 | Closed 2014 |
| ENEOS – Osaka | 115,000 | Closed 2020, converted to an asphalt-fired power plant |
| ENEOS – Wakayama | 127,500 | Closed October 2023 |
| Seibu Oil (Idemitsu) – Yamaguchi | 120,000 | Halted processing by end of March 2024 |
These closures represent about 7% of the country’s refinery capacity, and consumption of petroleum products in Japan was forecast to decline 3% between 2023 and 2024 to 3.3 million b/d. Japan’s petroleum consumption declined roughly 2% per year through 2022 from its peak of 5.7 million b/d in 1996. U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Where Japan imports its crude oil from
Japan has almost no domestic crude production, so it imports the overwhelming majority of its feedstock, heavily concentrated in the Gulf:
| Supplier | Approx. share (2024–2025) |
|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | ~44% ORF Middle East |
| Saudi Arabia | ~40% ORF Middle East |
| Kuwait | ~7% ORF Middle East |
| Qatar | ~4% ORF Middle East |
| Oman, Sudan, Neutral Zone, others | small residual |
| United States | ~5% (varies by month) |
As of the first half of 2025, Japan sourced more than 95 percent of its crude oil feedstock from Middle Eastern suppliers, and Japan’s crude imports fell by 8.8% to 2.32 million b/d for 2024, less than half of the peak 5 million b/d figure hit in the early 1970s. Japan mainly imports crude from the Middle East because its refining system is configured to run sour crude, and reliance on Saudi Arabia and the UAE has increased over the years even as overall crude arrivals fell. Reliance on Russian-origin crude has also declined sharply in recent years as imports from Russia dropped.
Fast Fact:
- Production: ~102,252 bbl/d (2024)
- Reserves (proven): 44,115,000 bbl (2025)
- Consumption: ~3,140,328 bbl/d (2024)
- Crude oil imports (FY2024): 136.29 million kL (↓5.9% YoY)
- Crude oil imports (2025): ~120 million tonnes
- Middle East import dependency: 94–95.9% (FY2024–2025)
- Top crude suppliers: UAE (1.035 million b/d, June 2025), Saudi Arabia, Qatar
- LNG imports: ~16% of world total (world’s largest LNG importer)
- Coal imports: ~160 Mt (2025), world’s 3rd-largest coal importer
- Refineries: 19 (PAJ, Mar 2025) / 22 (IEA figure)
- Total refining capacity: 3,110,400 b/d (PAJ, Mar 2025) / 3.5 million b/d (IEA)
- ENEOS refining capacity: 1.4 million b/d (9 refineries, ~50% market share)
- Strategic reserves: ~254 days of crude oil (end-2025)
- Government stockpile capacity: 252 million bbl
- Private stockpile capacity: 600+ million bbl
- Total storage capacity: 850+ million bbl
- Brent crude price: ~$72/bbl (pre-conflict, early 2026) → $110+/bbl (end-March 2026)
