Mexico will supply Japan with one million barrels of crude oil

As part of Tokyo’s attempt to diversify its energy sources in the aftermath of the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran, Japan has agreed to purchase one million barrels of crude oil from Mexico, with delivery set for July, the Nikkei business newspaper said on Wednesday.

The announcement comes after Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi spoke over the phone on Tuesday and decided to increase bilateral collaboration on energy-related issues.

In order to lessen the impact of the Middle East crisis on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, Sheinbaum announced during the meeting with Takaichi that the Mexican state-owned oil business Pemex will send crude oil to the Asian nation in an undisclosed amount at Japan’s request.

«This has been done many times before; it’s not the first time,» she continued, pointing out that the oil in question is «surplus crude» that Mexican refineries do not use.