(Corrects reference to September from October in last
paragraph)
TOKYO, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Japan's crude oil imports from
Iran in October fell 40.2 percent from a year earlier, data from
the trade ministry showed on Friday, as Western sanctions kept
Japanese refiners from shipping from the Middle Eastern country.
The Islamic Republic is under intense pressure from U.S. and
European trade and financial restrictions imposed over its
disputed nuclear programme.
The sanctions have led to a sharp drop over the past year in
its oil exports, a major source of revenue for Tehran. Iran's
state budget for the next fiscal year may assume exports of just
1 million barrels of oil a day, according to a report by the
semi-official Fars news agency this week, about half volumes
shipped in 2011.
Japan, the world's third-biggest oil consumer, imported
773,542 kilolitres (156,949 barrels per day) of Iranian crude
last month, compared with 891,300 kl (186,870 bpd) in September,
according to data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Industry (METI).
(1 kl=6.2898 barrels)
(Reporting by Risa Maeda; Editing by Michael Urquhart)