Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in major gas-producer Qatar on Tuesday for the final leg of a Gulf tour that has focused on securing energy supplies and promoting Japanese high-tech.
Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it remains committed to secure oil supplies for Japan and will continue cooperating with Tokyo on clean hydrogen, ammonia and recycled carbon fuels.
Oil demand is set to hit a record high this year and the market is tightening but economic headwinds and interest rate hikes have deflated growth expectations slightly, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Thursday.
Extra crude production cuts announced by Saudi Arabia and Russia have removed some downside risk and stemmed the erosion of the spot prices and calendar spreads evident since early in the second quarter.