they say international cooperation is necessary to stop iran s nuclear program. japan currently gets about 10% of its crude oil from iran. but authorities believe it s possle to secure oil from other exporters. still, government leaders say the ban could cause oil prices to surge in the short term and place a heavy burden on japanese corporations and households. they plan to study ways to reduce oil imports from iran and request that the u allow exceptions for japan under certain conditions. members of the european union are divided over when to impose an oil embargo of their own. they, too, want to avoid any negative impacts. eu nations are trying to ban imports of crude oil and toughen economic sanctions against iran. they re hoping to reach an agreement in a meeting of foreign ministers on january 23rd. eu source say britain and france are requesting an immediate start to the embargo, but greece, italy and spain want a moratorium. they rely heavily on iranian crude oil and