Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. can strengthen “strategic energy partnerships” with Japan and other customers “with greater flexibility” after the United Arab Emirates’ exit from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, according to a senior ADNOC official. Nasser Omair Al Muhairi, acting CEO for Downstream Industry, Marketing & Trading at the UAE’s largest oil company, shared this insight in a recent written interview with Jiji Press. “ADNOC has remained a reliable supplier to Japan, ensuring uninterrupted deliveries and continuing to support the country’s energy security” despite Middle East turmoil and higher crude oil prices, Al Muhairi also said. The UAE is a major source of crude oil for Japan. In 2025, it accounted for about 40 pct of Japan’s oil imports, the largest share by country. Al Muhairi said that ADNOC has reached agreements with Japanese firms over the past year for additional long-term supplies of crude oil, amounting to about 70,000 barrels per day. The agreements reinforce “ADNOC’s role as a reliable long-term energy partner to Japan,” he noted. Under a joint oil stockpiling program with other oil-producing countries, the UAE stored about 8 million barrels of crude oil in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, and released some of this reserve in the wake of the U.S.-Iran conflict. “The strategic reserve demonstrates the depth of trust between our two countries and provides additional supply security for Japan at a time when energy resilience is increasingly important,” Al Muhairi said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
