Data from Japan's Ministry of Finance, released Wednesday, showed that Japanese crude oil import prices hit a new record high in yen in June.

Import prices thus recorded a third consecutive monthly record, as supply disruptions caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz pushed energy prices higher.

The data showed that the post-customs clearance import price rose 84.7 percent from a year earlier to 117.684 yen ($722) per kiloliter, the highest level since comparable data began in 1979, surpassing the previous record of 114.076 yen in May.

In U.S. dollars, the price was $117.16 per barrel, the ninth highest on record.

The yen's depreciation, along with higher insurance and shipping costs, contributed to the price increase.

Japan's crude oil import price, known as the 'Japanese Crude Cocktail' (JCC), is calculated based on cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) prices after customs clearance, and typically tracks global oil price trends with a delay of about one month due to shipping time.

Higher CIF prices increase the cost of importing crude oil and liquefied natural gas, a key fuel for thermal power generation, which in turn affects electricity prices.

The data said that crude oil import volumes fell 13.7 percent in June from a year earlier, following declines of 57.3 percent in May and 64 percent in April, the steepest drop since 1980.

Imports from the Middle East fell 40.6 percent to 35.8 million barrels, while shipments from the United States surged 459.5 percent.

Before the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war that erupted in late February, Japan imported about 95 percent of its crude oil from the Middle East.