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July 07, 2026
 

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OIL

A Shiite Muslim cleric looks on during a demonstration in solidarity with Iran and denouncing the U.S.-Israeli war against it, in Iraq's southern city of Basra on Saturday.
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2026
Iran says Iraqi ships are allowed to use Strait of Hormuz
Traffic in the Strait remains a small fraction of the pre-war rate, when one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG sailed the narrows connecting the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean.
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet releases a JASSM-ER missile during a test over the Gulf of Mexico in September 2018.
WORLD
Apr 5, 2026
U.S. deploys bulk of stealthy long-range missile for Iran war
The order to pull JASSM-ER cruise missiles from Pacific stockpiles was issued at the end of March.
A U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jet lands during Exercise Point Blank at RAF Lakenheath in England on Jan. 27. Iran shot down one of the jets over the country, U.S. officials and Iranian state-affiliated media said on Friday.
WORLD
Apr 4, 2026
Downed jets raise new perils for Trump as Tehran hunts for missing U.S. pilot
The incidents show the risks still faced by U.S. and Israeli aircraft over Iran despite assertions that their forces had total control of the skies.
Industry minister Ryosei Akazawa speaks during a news conference on parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2026
Oil bypassing Strait of Hormuz set to arrive in Japan from May
Over 90% of Japan’s oil imports have come from the Middle East, and most of them have come via the strait.
Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most vital oil artery, provides the only real leverage it has over the United States.
WORLD
Apr 4, 2026
U.S. intelligence warns Iran unlikely to ease Hormuz Strait chokehold soon
Tehran’s grip on the world’s most vital oil artery provides the only real leverage it has over Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump prays during a group prayer during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on Feb. 5.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 4, 2026
For some around Trump, war on Iran is a Christian calling
In a war against a country led by Shia Muslim clerics, the U.S. is also invoking religion, with some officials casting it as almost a divine mission.
Then-Prime Minster Fumio Kishida meets with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi, in July 2023.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 3, 2026
Beyond oil: Why UAE-Japan ties matter more than ever
The UAE supplies roughly a quarter of Japan’s crude oil imports, reinforcing its role as a reliable partner in an increasingly uncertain energy landscape.
Oil tankers lie at anchor in the Singapore Strait off Singapore on March 17.
COMMENTARY
Apr 3, 2026
Why the Strait of Hormuz closure is an Asian crisis
About 90% of the oil and 83% of the liquefied natural gas that normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz are bound for Asia.
Air China said in a statement on Wednesday it will increase surcharges on flights of up to 800 kilometers by 60 yuan ($8.70), and 120 yuan for longer flights.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2026
Chinese airlines to raise fuel surcharges on domestic flights
The fuel surcharge increase comes as the war in the Middle East, and Iran’s effective closure of the crucial Strait of Hormuz, have sent crude prices soaring.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and French President Emmanuel Macron attend a news conference at Akasaka Palace State Guest House in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 2, 2026
France and Japan hedge against rising threats with strategic autonomy push
While the ongoing energy crisis was ever present, both nations also signed agreements set to outlast the turmoil and strengthen their positions in a fragmented world order.
An oil tanker off the shore of Singapore, on March 17
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2026
A 12,000-mile journey shows the world’s scramble for diesel
Soaring fuel prices from the Iran war are forcing oil traders into longer, stranger journeys, sending cargoes on routes that would normally make little economic sense.
Air China cargo’s airline Boeing 777-FFT aircraft flies past a full moon in Germany on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2026
China’s state airlines are aviation’s unlikely losers from war
Despite providing flights to Europe bypassing the Middle East, carriers’ shares have tumbled since the conflict began.
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 Japan Airlines airplane flies past an oil refinery as it approaches to land at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, as seen from a park in the Keihin Industrial Zone in Kawasaki, on March 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2026
Japan’s international flights to get pricier due to hike in fuel surcharge
Fuel surcharges are expected to rise up to double their current rates due to the ongoing Iran conflict.
Motorists queue up to refuel their vehicles outside a petrol station in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 1, 2026
Asia barters for scarce energy as Iran crisis throttles supply
The race for alternative supply has hotted up as China, the world’s second-largest economy, imposed fuel export bans.
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.
Japan might be giving the currency market the silent treatment
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has issued verbal warnings recently using the same language and the same tone, saying authorities “will take appropriate action at any time, as necessary.”
Murakami says his novels are ‘different’ from AI literature
Haruki Murakami's first book in three years hit shelves in Japan on Friday.
Suspected Asian fraud ring exec served fresh warrant in Japan
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Osaka Prefectural Police have issued arrest warrants for three people, including a suspected fraud network leader, over alleged immigration and residency violations.
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.
Tokyo hospital baby hatch accepts 20 newborns in first year
Hitoshi Kato (left), head of San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, speaks during a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building on Thursday.
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.
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.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.
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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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