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July 04, 2026
 

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OIL

About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has dropped by 97% since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began on Feb. 28, according to United Nations data.
BUSINESS / Economy / EXPLAINER
Mar 14, 2026
Why is it so easy for Iran to shut the Strait of Hormuz?
About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the strait, where traffic has dropped by 97% since the Iran conflict began.
A beach off Gujarat, India, on Wednesday with a tanker carrying Russian oil in the background
WORLD
Mar 13, 2026
U.S. eases Russia oil sanctions to tame price surge, riling European allies
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the waiver was a bid to stabilize global energy markets roiled by the Iran war.
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa said at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday that there is no restriction on oil from Japan's national reserves being sold overseas if the drawdown exceeds domestic demand.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 13, 2026
Japan to sell oil from national reserves at pre-Iran war prices
The government “expects refiners that purchase crude at low prices won’t then sell their products at higher prices and pocket the profit.”
Plumes of smoke rise from an oil storage facility after overnight strikes by U.S. and Israeli forces in Tehran on Sunday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 13, 2026
Japan and the world scramble amid the Iran conflict
Iran is undeterred and is widening the war, attacking regional targets to disrupt energy markets generally.
A tanker sails in the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. Oil prices have jumped more than 9% to $100 a barrel as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran widens.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 13, 2026
U.S. will ‘make a lot of money’ from high oil price, Trump says
Oil prices have jumped more than 9% to $100 a barrel as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran widens, with two crude tankers blazing in an Iraqi port Thursday.
A tanker passes through the Strait of Hormuz. U.K. officials stated Thursday that they believe Iran is laying mines in the Strait.
WORLD
Mar 13, 2026
Iran has likely begun laying mines in Strait of Hormuz, U.K. says
The narrowness of the Strait of Hormuz makes the danger of sea mines more acute, as ships have less room to maneuver and greater odds of striking one of the weapons.
Tankers in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 12, 2026
Japan promises 80 million barrels of oil to support 400 million-barrel global intervention
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced the commitment hours before the IEA announced the unprecedented coordinated effort by 32 nations.
A passenger checks her flight status on an airport arrivals and departures board in Krakow, Poland, on March 5.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2026
‘Horrendously high’ fares and bomb fears upend spring travel
The widening war with Iran that’s roiled global travel is hitting Asia-Europe routes especially hard, leaving travelers facing record prices.
Smoke rises from the Thai bulk carrier 'Mayuree Naree' near the Strait of Hormuz after an attack on Wednesday.
WORLD
Mar 12, 2026
Iran tells world to get ready for oil at $200 a barrel as it fires on merchant ships
The war unleashed with joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes nearly two weeks ago has so far killed around 2,000 people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Feb. 24. The prime minister announced on Wednesday that Japan will tap its oil reserves for the first time since 2022.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2026
Takaichi says oil reserves to be tapped as Iran conflict hits crude flows
Japan holds stockpiled oil equivalent to about 254 days of domestic demand. The release of some of that could begin as soon as Monday.
Tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. More than 70% of Japan-bound oil shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz between the UAE and Iran.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 11, 2026
Japan ready to join coordinated intervention in oil markets
Concerns have intensified as crude oil tankers bound for Japan ceased navigating the Strait of Hormuz 10 days ago because the war made the passage too dangerous.
Oil storage containers and pipelines at an oil terminal in Hardisty, Canada
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 11, 2026
China’s energy security push pays off as war roils Asia refiners
China’s position is a stark contrast to Asian countries from Japan to Thailand that have been hit hard by wartime energy disruptions.
Anabel Oliva, 20, speaks outside the University of Havana during a protest against disruptions in classes due to energy and internet shortages in Havana on Monday.
WORLD
Mar 11, 2026
‘My friends are still in jail’: Cubans take to the streets but fear crossing line
While Cubans have expressed frustration over lengthy power blackouts, a repeat of the mass 2021 protests seems unlikely due to the government’s violent repression then.
High prices for gasoline are shown at a gas station in downtown Los Angeles, California on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 11, 2026
Rising gas prices from Iran war imperil Republican majority in U.S. Congress
U.S. President Donald Trump had boasted about falling gasoline prices just a couple of weeks before he launched airstrikes against Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump (right) looks on beside Russian President Vladimir Putin during a news conference following their meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15, 2025.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 10, 2026
Trump and Putin talk of war and peace as U.S. weighs easing Russian oil sanctions
Such a move would help ease a supply crunch due to conflict in Iran, but also complicate U.S. efforts to deprive Russia of revenue for its war in Ukraine.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama attends an online meeting with her Group of Seven counterparts on Monday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 10, 2026
G7 nations prepared for joint release of oil reserves amid Middle East strife
If carried out, such a move would be the first in about four years since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
A man shops in a supermarket in Chanverrie, France, on Oct. 16, 2024. When prices of food and other essentials rise, the first thing people cut spending on is fashion, says consultancy Simon-Kucher.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 10, 2026
Europe’s struggling retail sector looks ill-prepared for new energy price shock
The sector has barely recovered from the inflation cycle triggered by spiking gas prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Tankers are seen off the coast of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on March 3. Tehran has vowed to fire on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz amid its conflict with the U.S. and Israel.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 10, 2026
Ships brandish China links to weave through Strait of Hormuz
Vessels are linking themselves to Iran’s most important economic partner in an attempt to reduce the risk of being targeted for Iranian attacks.
Cathay Pacific Airways aircraft on the tarmac at Hong Kong International Airport
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2026
Asian airlines raise fares and mull groundings as fuel crunch looms
Carriers in the region aren’t as well hedged against high oil prices as rivals in Europe or the U.S., making them more vulnerable to sudden surges in jet fuel prices.
Stock prices declined in Tokyo on Monday on concerns that higher oil prices could affect the Japanese economy.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 9, 2026
Oil’s dramatic rally sends Japanese stocks, bonds and currency down
Prices recovered later on Monday on reports of possible intervention.
‘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 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.
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. 
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
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.
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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