GENERAL

Spot Purchases Continue at High Level in Japan 

Japanese spot crude imports (defined as imports under contracts for less than one year) have continued to run at high levels in July and August, averaging 974,000 b/d and 1,173,000 b/d respectively, or 33.7% and 37.1% of total oil imports.

The following table illustrates the rising share of spot imports since 1980

 (thousand b/d): Spot Imports % Total Imports 1980 371.7 8.7 1981 211.2 5.3 1982 428.8 12.0 1983 687.4 18.7 1984...