TOKYO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The volume of Japan's customs-cleared crude oil imports fell 4.7 percent in January from the same month a year earlier, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.

Japan, the world's third-biggest oil consumer, imported 17.938 million kilolitres (3.64 million barrels per day) of crude oil last month, the preliminary data showed.

That compared with December imports of 19.687 million kl.

Japan's imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) totalled 8.23 million tonnes last month, up 1 percent from a year earlier.

Imports of thermal coal for power generation fell 13.1 percent in January to 8.71 million tonnes, the data showed.

(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Aaron Sheldrick and Joseph Radford) Keywords: ENERGY JAPAN/MOF

(osamu.tsukimori@thomsonreuters.com)(+813 6441 1857)(Reuters Messaging: osamu.tsukimori.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)

COPYRIGHT

Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. All rights reserved.

The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.