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July 10, 2026
 

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OIL

Industry minister Ryosei Akazawa speaks during an online gathering of officials of Group of Seven leading industrialized nations on Monday. Akazawa has been named Japan’s critical-materials czar by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2026
Akazawa appointed critical-materials czar in response to conflict in the Middle East
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the industry minister is tasked with reviewing the supply situation and developing policy responses.
Facilities of Huanyang Chemical Industry and Ningbo Huanyang New Materials in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China, on March 21. Petrol and plastic prices have risen for China since the U.S. and Israel began their strikes on Iran a month ago.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 31, 2026
What the Middle East war means for China’s ties with Iran
China and Iran’s relationship is transactional despite them sometimes being considered as part of a broader anti-Western group — alongside Russia and North Korea.
A cargo ship in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, in United Arab Emirates on March 11. So far in March, barely six vessels per day on average have traversed the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the world, in either direction. That compares with about 135 a day in normal times, according to ship-tracking data.
WORLD
Mar 31, 2026
Iran’s grip on Strait of Hormuz tighter than ever after first month of war
The near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz has proved an exceptionally effective asymmetric weapon in Iran’s fight against two of the world’s most powerful countries.
An aerial view shows tugboats helping a crude oil tanker to berth at an oil terminal, off Waidiao Island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China, in 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 31, 2026
China puts home energy needs above cooperation as Mideast war halts supplies
China is the world’s second largest fertilizer ‌exporter and also ‌a large supplier of fuel, with imports from China a major source of supply for many countries in Asia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on March 25
WORLD / Politics
Mar 31, 2026
Allies sent Ukraine ‘signals’ on reducing strikes on Russian oil, Zelenskyy says
The Ukrainian president said Kyiv is ready ​to reciprocate if Moscow stops attacking the Ukrainian energy system, and that Kyiv is open to an Easter ceasefire.
People look on as one of the two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid arrive at the port of Havana on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 31, 2026
White House says no change in Cuba policy after Russian tanker waiver
The administration said it allowed the recent fuel delivery to the island for humanitarian reasons and that such decisions would be handled ​on a case-by-case basis.
The yen traded above ¥160 to the dollar over the weekend — a threshold that some investors and traders see triggering government intervention. 
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 30, 2026
Tokyo stocks decline to a 2026 low after yen breaks ¥160 to the dollar
Brent crude is up and trading above $115 per barrel on supply concerns related to the war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says there will be no immediate disruption to supply of petroleum products for medical devices.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2026
Takaichi seeks to ease concerns over medical-product supplies
The prime minister acknowledged that crude-oil shortages in other Asian nations led to worries about the long-term supply of products manufactured elsewhere and shipped to Japan.
A “not available” sign is posted on a fuel dispenser at a gas station amid fuel shortages, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Quezon City, Philippines, on March 26.
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2026
This is what happens when the gas runs out
Countries in Asia are bracing for a complete cutoff in coming days of Middle Eastern LNG, a fuel that underpins power generation and industrial output across much of the region.
Cars line up at a gas station in Seoul on March 9.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 30, 2026
South Korea weighs first driving curbs in 35 years on oil crunch
The country has already imposed driving restrictions on civil servants, curbing how often they can access government buildings by car.
The latest Bank of Japan summary signals that the bank is worried about the upside inflation risks stemming from the escalating Middle East conflict.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 30, 2026
BOJ summary displays hawkish tilt with debate on size of hike
One member hinted at the possibility of a bigger rate hike than those recently undertaken due to the Middle East conflict.
A young man plays on a beach as the Hong Kong-flagged vessel Sea Horse, carrying some 200,000 barrels of Russia-origin fuel originally bound for Cuba, is anchored near the coast after arriving in Venezuelan waters, in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 30, 2026
U.S. plans to allow Russian oil tanker into Cuba, easing crisis
The shipment of 730,000 barrels of crude is expected to be allowed to arrive in coming days.
Young Houthi supporters hold weapons during a rally in solidarity with Tehran and Beirut, amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Friday.
WORLD
Mar 29, 2026
Yemen’s Houthis enter Iran war with attacks on Israel, as U.S. Marines arrive in region
The risk of an expanded Iran war grew as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday launched their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict.
Fuel pumps at a Cosmo Oil gas station in Tokyo on March 16
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 29, 2026
One month on, Iran conflict fuels worries for Japanese firms and households
Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has driven up crude oil prices, hitting businesses such as farms, bathhouses and public transportation operators.
Passengers walk past a display board showing canceled flights to Dubai and Doha amid regional airspace closures at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, on March 2.
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2026
Asia’s air travel crisis risks spreading on Iran war’s jet fuel squeeze
Asia has been particularly affected because of its exposure to oil that normally comes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked by Iran.
The Takasago Thermal Power Plant in Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture. Japan will increase the use of coal-fired power plants to strengthen energy supply amid the Middle East energy shock.
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2026
Japan to allow more coal-fired power to cope with energy shock
Japan is joining other nations that have shifted course to use the dirtiest fossil fuel more in the wake of of the war.
An oil tanker docked at an oil refinery in Yokohama. Japan is feeling the pain of the war in Iran acutely as it imports more than 90% of its crude oil from the Middle East.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 27, 2026
Investors game out stagflation risk in Japan as oil prices rise
Global funds including Allianz Global Investors and Amundi are already hedging against stagflation with the Iran conflict nearing the one-month mark.
A maze of crude oil pipe and equipment at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Freeport, Texas. While U.S. officials have said the spike in oil prices during the war with Iran will be short-lived, other nations aren't so convinced.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Mar 27, 2026
Trump officials tout U.S. energy dominance as global oil executives warn of supply crisis
The contrasting messages relayed to industry leaders at the annual CERAWeek conference in Houston reflected the different political realities in the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Tanker trucks line up at an oil terminal in Yokohama earlier this month amid surging oil prices due to the Iran conflict.
EDITORIALS
Mar 27, 2026
Iran war exposes the global economy’s vulnerability
Oil is the Achilles heel of the global economy. Skyrocketing gasoline prices get considerable attention with good reason, but their real impact is more extensive than imagined.
At 10:59 a.m. on Thursday, the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security commenced the release of about 400,000 kiloliters of oil from the Kikuma National Petroleum Stockpiling Base in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 26, 2026
Oil starts flowing from Japan’s national reserves
The release is part of the country’s 80-million-barrel contribution to a coordinated global intervention.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Trump says ‘Japan’ instead of Iran at meeting in Ankara
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
Wakatakakage injury casts pall over July meet, but potential new stars loom
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in August 2024.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.

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