Japanese Oil Imports Rising (4 Million BOPD); US Imports Dropping, On Pace To 6 Million BOPD

Platts is reporting:

• Japan's Apr 11-20 crude imports jump 25% on year to 4.21 mil b/d, MOF data shows.

Meanwhile, US oil imports have fallen to their lowest level since 1987, on pace to drop to 6 million bopd by 2014.

• Japanese, that small island nation, has a population of 128 million.
• US, that relatively large non-island nation, has a population of 314 million. 

So, it looks like the Japanese, with a population a third the size of the US, is headed towards 5 million bopd while the US is headed towards 6 million bopd. What an incredible gift President Obama was handed, and somehow he can't get his speechwriters to write uplifting, optimistic, "morning in America" speeches. Instead, off to Mexico to apologize how the US has created all of Mexico's problems, and talking about red lines which turn out to be beige, or pink, or burnt orange, but not red.

[Disclaimer: that is my worldview, a worldview that is not shared by the majority of Americans. The data regarding oil imports is accurate, to the best of my knowledge, based on linked sources.]