Japan's crude oil imports from Iran in September rose 35 percent from a year earlier to 252,216 barrels per day, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry data showed on Thursday, Reuters reported.
Japan, China, India and South Korea take the bulk of Iran's crude exports and have been under pressure to trim purchases from the OPEC producer under Western sanctions aimed at cutting oil funds to Tehran because of its disputed nuclear program.
Japan's crude oil imports from Iran in August rose 112.7 percent from a year earlier to 214,879 barrels per day, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) data showed on Monday.
The U.S. and EU sanctions aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions have forced China, India, Japan and South Korea to reduce their reliance on Iranian oil, trimming the OPEC nation's exports by more than half since early 2012 and costing it billions of dollars a month in lost revenue.
The European Union and the United States believe Iran is developing nuclear weapons, while Iran says its program is for electricity generation.