Japan’s January-June bioethanol imports remain low

Spanish Market: Biofuels
28/07/23

Japan's bioethanol imports in January-June more than halved to 112,000 bl from the same period last year. This was the lowest level since at least 2016.

Japan did not import any bioethanol in June after it purchased 62,000 bl in May, according to preliminary data released on 28 July by the country's finance ministry. Japan has only taken bioethanol cargoes in March and May this year so far, resulting in the lower total imports for the first half of the year.

Japan imports bioethanol only from Brazil, to produce gasoline blendstock ETBE, while it purchases ETBE from the US every month. The country's trade and industry ministry requires domestic refiners to use 500,000 kilolitres/yr (8,616 b/d) of the crude equivalent of bioethanol or ETBE to reduce CO2 emissions from the automobile sector.

Japan's ETBE imports were around 813,000 bl in June, up by 49pc on the year but down by 14pc on the month, the finance ministry data show. Total ETBE purchases during January-June fell by 7pc from the previous year to 5.2mn bl.

All of the ETBE is imported by Japan Biofuels Supply, a partnership between Japanese refiners Eneos, Idemitsu, Cosmo Oil, Fuji Oil and Taiyo Oil for delivery to Idemitsu's 190,000 b/d Chiba refinery in the Tokyo bay area, and for subsequent distribution to refiners.

By Maiko Nakashima

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08/05/25

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