Officials said the Japanese government was drafting directives that
would order a withdrawal by all companies and nationals from Iran's crude
oil and natural gas sector.
They said Tokyo, particularly its state-owned
oil developer, Inpex Corp., has sought to avoid the prospect of U.S.
sanctions.
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"I have heard that it [Inpex] is considering this as a managerial
policy," Japanese Trade Minister Akihiro Ohata said on Sept. 30.
Inpex has been developing Iran's huge Azadegan oil field, with an
estimated 42 billion barrels of oil.
In 2006, however, Inpex reduced its
stake in Azadegan from 75 percent to 10 percent in an effort to avoid U.S.
sanctions.