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July 07, 2026
 

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ENERGY

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.
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 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.
Workers monitor the water at the Sea Water Desalination Plant in Fukuoka.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 9, 2026
Waste water to clean energy: Japanese engineers harness the power of osmosis
Engineers in the city of Fukuoka and their private partners have opened what is only the world’s second osmotic power plant.
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.
The U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran has left developing countries using Chinese tech and trade, like solar panels and EVs, better able to weather fallout than those relying on American-backed supply chains.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 8, 2026
Is Trump the president who lost Asia to China?
After six weeks of the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran and its ensuing counterattacks, it is the countries that bet on Chinese supply chains that are faring best.
Chiyoda is one of the companies involved in the construction of a giant liquefied natural gas export plant in Qatar that was evacuated in March following an Iranian drone attack.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2026
Japan’s Chiyoda considers resuming work on Qatar LNG project
Shares of Chiyoda touched the upper daily limit during morning trading hours in Tokyo as investors bet on the company as a key player in reconstruction across the Persian Gulf.
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.
The government will step up its ability to intervene against fuel stations that overcharge consumers.
BUSINESS
Apr 7, 2026
Japan to boost effort to stop gasoline stands from price gouging
The government will step up its ability to intervene against fuel stations that overcharge consumers.
Japan's government has asked major oil wholesalers to sell fuel directly to hospitals and other critical facilities.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 7, 2026
Wholesalers to sell fuel directly to medical institutions and transit operators
Designating hospitals and other institutions as critical facilities, the ministry asked wholesalers to supply fuel to them on a priority basis, officials said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for accelerated planning and construction of a new system to safeguard the country's energy security, as conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global markets.
BUSINESS
Apr 7, 2026
China’s Xi urges faster development of new energy system as Middle East war continues
The leader of the ‌world’s second-largest ‌economy also emphasized hydropower development and ecological protection, while urging the safe ​and orderly expansion of nuclear power.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva at the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 23
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 7, 2026
Middle East war means ‘all roads’ lead to higher prices and slower growth, IMF chief says
Even if the conflict is swiftly resolved, the International Monetary Fund is set ‌to reduce its growth forecast and bump up its outlook for inflation.
The path toward sustainable AI lies in combining quantum computing with energy-efficient application design.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2026
Quantum computing could fix AI’s sustainability problem
Training Grok-4 alone reportedly required 310 gigawatt-hours of electricity — enough to power a town of 4,000.
People walk past a closed cinema as shops close early under a government-ordered curfew aimed at reducing energy costs in downtown Cairo on Thursday.
WORLD
Apr 6, 2026
‘Not the Cairo we know’: Energy shock from Iran war dims Egypt nights
Officials in Egypt say the decision to order shops to close early for a month was unavoidable, given the country’s heavy reliance on imported fuel.
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.
The headquarters of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2026
Second Japan-linked ship passes through Strait of Hormuz
The ship is the Indian-flagged LPG tanker Green Sanvi, owned by an Indian affiliate of Mitsui O.S.K., according to the Japanese company.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers questions during a plenary session of the Upper House in Tokyo on March 23.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2026
Japan cautious on asking public to conserve energy as Iran war drags on
An official said the government “will not make such a request until at least after the Golden Week holiday period (from late April to early May).”
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.
An office of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines in Tokyo last year
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2026
First Japanese and French ships cross Strait of Hormuz since war
A Japanese government official said that the reason the ship was allowed to sail through the strait at this time is unknown.
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.
Hayabusa2 flies past asteroid as Japan aims to acquire data for planetary defense
A graphic illustration of the Hayabusa2 probe flying past the asteroid Torifune
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.

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