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June 07, 2026
 

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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
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.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers a question during a House of Representatives budget committee session in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 5, 2026
Takaichi still highly popular despite slide in approval ratings
The lower ratings in two of three recent media polls come amid concerns over rising prices and the availability of crude oil-derived naphtha due to the Middle East conflict.
Japan's trucking industry is looking into introducing fuel surcharges amid uncertainties caused by the Iran war.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jun 1, 2026
Trucking industry eyes fuel surcharges as Iran conflict drives uncertainty
The move comes amid ongoing uncertainty over the long-term impact of the Iran war on crude oil supply.
Farooq Soban, a Pakistani resident of Ebetsu, Hokkaido, points to damage from a fire that destroyed a local mosque in the city, on April 29.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jun 1, 2026
Mosque fire shows need for better communication with foreign residents
The fire in Ebetsu, Hokkaido, exposed the need for deeper cooperation between Japanese and Pakistani residents on a broad range of issues.
Idemitsu Maru arrives at a sea berth off the city of Chita in Aichi Prefecture on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
May 25, 2026
Japanese tanker Idemitsu Maru arrives in Aichi after exiting Strait of Hormuz
The oil tanker is the first to return to Japan through the strait since war broke out in Iran.
Minamitorishima has no resident population and is off-limits to the general public.
JAPAN / Society
May 21, 2026
Survey begins to determine remote island¡¯s suitability for nuclear disposal site
91²Ö¿â waste management organization will carry out a literature review on the geology of Minamitorishima, located nearly 2,000 kilometers from Tokyo.
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.
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.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at an LDP meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 12, 2026
LDP sees emergence of new political support group for Takaichi
The group is endorsed by both party heavyweights who backed her in last year's presidential election and those who ran against her.
Since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, concerns have emerged over what a shortage of oil and naphtha ¡ª a raw material for plastic products including food-packaging containers ¡ª 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 ¡ª used for products ranging from medical supplies to cheap consumer goods ¡ª have been rising due to the Iran war.
A tanker carrying U.S. crude oil sails in Tokyo Bay on Sunday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Apr 29, 2026
How the Iran crisis affects Japan
With the Strait of Hormuz still closed, nearly a fifth of the world's oil exports are being kept from reaching their destinations.
Paul Nikel, President of West Canada Homes, with an increasingly rare supply of plastic foam
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 26, 2026
Japanese developers worry over construction supply shortages amid Iran war
The war in the Middle East and the subsequent halt of oil shipments from the Strait of Hormuz threaten to push back projects across Japan.
An official from the Japan Meteorological Agency speaks about the powerful quake that hit northern Japan at a news conference in Tokyo Monday evening.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2026
Japan issues rare special advisory over chance of more powerful quake
The government issued the advisory to residents of 182 municipalities from Hokkaido to Chiba, urging them to be ready to evacuate at any moment.
Buildings in the historic area of Takayama, Gifu Prefecture
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 19, 2026
Japan¡¯s tourism industry begins to feel pain of Iran war
With the Iran war continuing, travel costs between Europe and Japan have increased to the point that many European travelers are canceling their plans.
Minamitorishima has no resident population and is closed to the general public.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2026
Survey of Minamitorishima greenlit to check suitability for radioactive waste disposal
The central government is searching for a permanent disposal site for radioactive waste from 91²Ö¿â nuclear power plants.
In recent years, the combination of a surge in tourism to Hokkaido and the operations of the Rapidus semiconductor plant has led to congestion at New Chitose Airport¡¯s train station and on express trains.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Apr 13, 2026
Amid travel boom, Hokkaido struggles to improve airport rail link
Express trains arriving at and departing from New Chitose Airport are congested, creating concern.
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.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during the Upper House budget committee meeting at parliament in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2026
Japan¡¯s fiscal 2026 budget passes Upper House
The ?122.3 trillion budget is the largest ever, reflecting Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's goal of an expansionary fiscal policy.
A tanker loads crude oil at a national storage base in Fukuoka Prefecture on March 27. Official efforts to curb consumption in Japan could be needed by the summer if oil imports coming from the Strait of Hormuz have not resumed.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 5, 2026
Gasoline, diapers and drinks: Japan faces wide-ranging impact amid concern over oil
The government has assured the public that the supply of crude oil is sufficient for now, but efforts to curb consumption could be needed if the situation doesn't improve.
A bleak prognosis for Japan¡¯s demographic future
Japan¡¯s population decline continues to accelerate despite some modest positive signs, highlighting the need for broader social, economic and cultural changes to raise the birth rate.
How Japan created its naphtha supply bottleneck
Japan received 93% of its oil via the Strait of Hormuz prior to the Feb. 28 start of the Iran war.
Japan likely sold Treasurys to fund yen intervention
Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Atsushi Mimura speaks to reporters in Tokyo on May 1 following reports of Japan's possible intervention in the currency market.
Is an honorable U.S. surrender to Iran inevitable?
An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 15, shortly before the start of hostilities on Feb. 28.
J-pop group Arashi takes its final bow at Tokyo Dome
J-pop group Arashi ended its long career with a final nationwide tour and the last concert took place in Tokyo on May 31.
How Japan created its naphtha supply bottleneck
Japan received 93% of its oil via the Strait of Hormuz prior to the Feb. 28 start of the Iran war.
¡®Fujiko¡¯ transforms a mother¡¯s resilience into festival gold
¡°Fujiko¡± stars Yuki Katayama (left) as a scrappy single mother who fights for her autonomy in 1970s and ¡¯80s Japan.
Japan should prepare for an intense typhoon season this year, experts say
Elevated water levels are seen along the Tama River in Kawasaki's Tama Ward as Tropical Storm Jangmi brought heavy rain and strong winds to the Kanto region Wednesday.
The LDP wants another coalition partner. Will it happen?
Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), delivers a question during a House of Representatives plenary session on May 25. Making the DPP a coalition member would make it easier for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (above left) to drive forward her legislative agenda.
Japan¡¯s Cannes moment signals a new global push
Tao Okamoto (left) and Virginie Efira (right) shared the Cannes Film Festival¡¯s best actress honor for their roles in Ryusuke Hamaguchi¡¯s ¡°All of a Sudden,¡± a coproduction between Japan, France, Belgium and Germany.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Community programs and tracking systems are expanding across Japan as local governments search for ways to prevent dementia-related disappearances.
He told his wife he was ¡®coming home.¡¯ Then he disappeared.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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