Reuters, Tokyo, 20 Jan 2012 – Japanese Trade Minister Yukio Edano said on Friday he told visiting U.S. officials that Japan’s imports of Iranian crude oil are on the decline, and the trend will continue.

U.S. Treasury and State Department officials held meetings with Japanese officials in Tokyo this week to explain a U.S. law imposing sanctions on countries that trade with Iran as a way to curb that country’s ability to build a nuclear weapon.

Edano said he told them that Japan’s purchases of Iranian crude have fallen 40 percent in the past five years, and the trend will continue.

He told a news conference that he asked the officials to consider Japan’s situation in a flexible manner, and expects further talks.

The head of the country’s oil industry body said on Thursday that Japanese buyers are likely to cut Iranian crude purchases in about three months.