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July 05, 2026
 

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NAPHTHA

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim pose for photographs ahead of their bilateral meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 10, 2026
Japan and Malaysia pledge to bolster energy supplies and maritime ties
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim reached a deal on energy security, including LNG supplies, during a summit in Tokyo on Monday.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says it is "more convenient to publicly recognize companies that cooperate" with releasing their inventory than to enforce anti-hoarding laws.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 9, 2026
Takaichi reluctant to resolve naphtha bottleneck by enforcing laws
With naphtha-made products still in short supply, the prime minister’s government is facing questions on using two laws to punish hoarders.
Toto is going back to normal delivery schedules as the supply outlook for raw materials has improved.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2026
Toto to fully resume bathroom orders as supply concerns ease
The company is going back to normal delivery schedules as the supply outlook for raw materials has improved.
Japan received 93% of its oil via the Strait of Hormuz prior to the Feb. 28 start of the Iran war.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 5, 2026
How Japan created its naphtha supply bottleneck
With no end in sight for the Iran war, supply chain bottlenecks for the oil-derived material are set to continue, prompting calls for government-enforced energy saving measures.
Lacquer thinner in short supply at a home improvement store in the city of Kagoshima on May 27
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 1, 2026
Housing industry hit by shortage of naphtha-derived materials
It is unclear when the situation will improve, and it could also have an impact on consumers in the form of higher housing prices or delayed construction.
Fumiya Kokubu, the former head of a major trading house, said Monday it would be "impossible” to procure alternatives for the 15 million kiloliters of naphtha a year that the country sourced from the Middle East before the war in Iran.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 26, 2026
Former Japan trading house head warns of naphtha supply crunch
Former Marubeni chair says Japan is likely to face a shortage of naphtha-derived chemical products as early as the end of June.
Ethylene is made from naphtha, which is derived from crude oil, and is used as a material for plastics and fibers.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2026
Ethylene plant operating rate hits record low in Japan
Ethylene, made from naphtha derived from crude oil, is used as a material for plastics and fibers.
Naphtha shortages and a shrinking labor force mean those buying a new air conditioning unit may pay more than last year and then be forced to wait up to a month to have it installed.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 20, 2026
Installation delays and price hikes hit air conditioners just before summer
Fears of naphtha shortages and a smaller labor force mean those buying a new air conditioner may pay more than last year and then be forced to wait up to a month for installation.
Japan’s corporate goods prices in April posted their biggest rise in 12 years, driven by higher oil and naphtha prices, the Bank of Japan said.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2026
Japanese producer prices jump by the most since 2014, backing case for rate hike
The measure of input prices for Japanese firms rose 2.3% in April from a month earlier, a full point above the highest estimate in a survey of economists.
Many municipalities across Japan say buzz online and anxiety over the situation in the Middle East has led to people panic buying garbage bags.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 13, 2026
Designated trash bags run low in Japan as fears grow over supply shortages
Reports of a naphtha shortage have driven some to hoard city-designated trash bags needed in some areas to dispose of waste.
Calbee will start selling potato chips in black and white packages due to a naphtha-derived ink shortage amid the war in Iran.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Calbee’s switch to black-and-white packaging brings home impact of Iran war
The government maintains that there is enough naphtha for local industries, though bottlenecks have been identified.
Since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, concerns have emerged over what a shortage of oil and naphtha — a raw material for plastic products including food-packaging containers — could mean to not only industries but also supply chains and individual consumers.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 5, 2026
Amid shortage concerns, Japan works to secure supplies of raw materials
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sparked worries about what an oil and naphtha shortage could mean for not only industries but also supply chains and consumers.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a government meeting on the Middle East on Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 1, 2026
Japan secures enough petroleum-derived naphtha to last into 2027
Questions over a possible shortage of the material — used for products ranging from medical supplies to cheap consumer goods — have been rising due to the Iran war.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi raises her hand to answer questions regarding the situation in the Middle East at an Upper House Budget Committee session at parliament in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 11, 2026
Confusion over naphtha supply hits industries and households
Japan relies on the Middle East for about 40% of its naphtha consumption. Additionally, about 40% of domestically produced naphtha is refined from crude oil mainly from the region.
Mitsubishi Chemical's Ibaraki plant in Kamisu, Ibaraki Prefecture, which produces ethylene and other petrochemical products
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2026
Japan walks tightrope to keep ethylene plants running amid Middle East crisis
Manufacturers are reducing output to keep their plants running because it takes over a month to restart after a suspension.
The Japan’s major naphtha producers have cut output of the oil byproduct, which is used in making such things as plastic bottles, construction materials and electrical appliances.
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2026
Japan can meet at least four months of naphtha needs, Takaichi says
The supplies include about two months of shipments procured from abroad and volume from domestic refiners.
Health deputy minister Hirobumi Niki (center left) receives a petition from patient groups in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 2, 2026
Patients in Japan seek stable supply of medical goods as war concerns loom
Shortages of naphtha — used in plastic — has patients worried about access to life-saving equipment as the Iran war continues to disrupt supply chains.
A gasoline tanker truck at an Idemitsu Kosan gas station in Tokyo on Monday. Curbs on production of petrochemical products by multiple Japanese firms point to a brewing crisis that could stunt pressure sectors from food to technology.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 17, 2026
Limited supplies of naphtha an underrecognized supply chain risk in Japan
Curbs on production by multiple Japanese petrochemical firms point to a brewing crisis that could stunt pressure sectors from food to technology.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Japanese police arrest nine over Sierra Leone-based special fraud
Japanese police have arrested nine individuals for their alleged involvement in a special fraud case using Sierra Leone as a base.
Japanese-language education is at a turning point
The country is gradually transforming Japanese-language education from a volunteer-driven system into a professional, government-supported network to better serve its growing foreign population. 
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex’s culture cred
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex.  
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Iran war exposed, but hasn’t changed, Japan’s reliance on imported oil
Wind turbines generate energy from strong easterly winds on the Shonai Plain in Yamagata Prefecture. Despite the oil crisis caused by conflict near the Strait of Hormuz, and concerns instability in the region could continue to impact supply and the price of imports, the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi does not seem to be drawing on the war as a pretext to hasten progress toward Japan&#039;s renewable goals.

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