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July 03, 2026
 

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OIL

Iran cannot locate all of the mines it laid in the Strait of Hormuz and lacks the capability to remove them, the U.S. says, one reason Tehran has not been able to quickly comply with the Trump administration’s admonitions to let more traffic pass through the waterway.
WORLD
Apr 11, 2026
Iran unable to find mines in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. says
The development is one reason Iran has not been able to quickly comply with the Trump administration’s admonitions to let more traffic pass through the strait.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One on his way to Virginia, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 11, 2026
U.S. asks allies for quick plans to secure Hormuz after pact
A U.K.-led coalition of more than 40 countries, which includes many European nations, Japan and Canada, has pledged to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
A worker harvests rice in Vietnam's Dong Thap province on March 25.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 11, 2026
Fuel shortages from Iran war threaten Asia’s biggest food staple
Across Southeast Asia, tens of millions are struggling to find affordable crop nutrients as well as the diesel needed for operating machinery.
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.
Cargo ships in the Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in the United Arab Emirates, on March 11
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2026
Iran’s chokehold on Hormuz Strait has White House on defensive
Allies, military analysts and skeptics of the U.S. strategy have been asking how Iran was allowed to seize and maintain control of the passage in the first place.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, dressed in an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps uniform, chairs a session in Tehran on Feb. 1.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 11, 2026
Revamped Iranian leadership wary as U.S. peace talks set to begin
The upgraded seniority in each side’s delegation is a signal that they both mean business, analysts say.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday, as he departs for Pakistan for talks on Iran.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2026
Vance emerges as Trump’s Iran closer, a task fraught with risk
The talks’ outcome could determine whether a tenuous two-week ceasefire turns into a lasting peace or ultimately unravels and plunges the region into further conflict.
The impact of the Middle East crisis on producer prices has begun to show itself in Japan as gasoline prices are on the rise amid higher crude oil prices.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 10, 2026
Producer prices in Japan rise 2.6% in March
The impact of the Middle East crisis on producer prices has begun to appear as gasoline prices are on the rise amid higher crude oil prices.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a ministerial meeting on the situation in the Middle East, on Friday at the Prime Minister’s Office.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2026
Takaichi confirms release of more oil reserves next month
Japan began tapping its stockpiles, the world’s largest, in March as the government looked to temper a spike in prices caused by the hit to supply from the Middle East war.
Cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz on March 11. The stakes for the peace talks are high, given that a fifth of the world's oil as well as vast quantities of natural gas and fertilizer pass through the key waterway in peacetime.
WORLD / FOCUS
Apr 10, 2026
Shipping toll for Hormuz passage sharply divides nations
While Iran agreed to reopen the strait during the two-week truce with the U.S., it has also spoken of a toll system to fund reconstruction following U.S.-Israeli attacks.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 9, 2026
Anxiety rises in Tokyo as uncertainties hang over fragile Iran war truce
Japan, eight other countries and the EU have said they “will contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” but it is unclear exactly what this could mean.
Storage tanks are seen at an oil refinery with Mount Fuji in the background in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 9, 2026
Regional cooperation on oil stocks and supplies could offer Japan more stability
Agreements with Asian countries on communal stockpiling and reciprocal supply arrangements may help ease future disruptions to supply and price stability.
An employee at Emerald Packaging operates a machine that prints grocery bags at the company’s facility in Union City, California, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 9, 2026
From falling U.S. wealth to Indian factory closures, oil shock raises global recession risk
As oil prices surge in the sixth week of the Iran war, businesses across the world are feeling the strain of a widening energy shock.
An oil refinery in the Keihin industrial area in Yokohama. Japanese refiners are opting for smaller ships that can transit the Panama Canal to get U.S. oil faster.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2026
Japan taps smaller ships to get U.S. oil faster on supply concerns
Three midsize tankers are scheduled to deliver U.S. oil to Japan from late April through May.
Iran has suggested that it will allow ships to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz during an ongoing two-week ceasefire if they coordinate with its military, though specific procedures remain unclear.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2026
42 Japan-linked ships still stranded in Persian Gulf
The vessels include crude oil tankers, chemical tankers, vehicle carriers, liquefied natural gas ships and tankers carrying petroleum products.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters after her call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 8, 2026
Takaichi calls for ships’ safe passage in Strait of Hormuz in talks with Iran president
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that while Japan welcomed a ceasefire in the Iran war as “a positive step,” securing “a final agreement” quickly is “of the utmost importance.”
The Nikkei 225's point gain on Wednesday was the third-largest ever.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 8, 2026
Stocks rally 5% and yen strengthens 1% after U.S. and Iran agree to ceasefire
The Strait of Hormuz will be open during that period, allowing for the safe passage of oil tankers.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference on the war against Iran, at the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 8, 2026
Trump agrees to two-week ceasefire with Iran with reopening of Strait of Hormuz
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed “complete victory” with the deal, but questions about its durability remained.
A liquefied natural gas tanker is seen at a port in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2026
Shipowners eye Hormuz ceasefire window for 800 trapped vessels
The near-closure of the vital waterway has created an unprecedented global energy supply crunch, as Iran tightened its control in the aftermath of U.S. and Israeli strikes.
People stand on the beach in Gujarat, India, near the MT Desert Kite oil tanker carrying Russian oil in the Arabian Sea, on March 11.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2026
Whether oil and gas or green tech, India depends on imports
​India imports 80% of its oil and gas, and while it produces some green minerals like copper and graphite, it is dependent on imports for others such as lithium, cobalt and nickel.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ¥11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
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.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

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