Tag - oil

 
Menu
Search
 
July 04, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

OIL

The Eneos Endeavor supertanker arrives at a refinery in Yokohama on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2026
Japan’s July oil imports to return to pre-Iran war level, Takaichi says
Japan relied on the Middle East for over 90% of its oil imports but has significantly diversified its supply chain.
Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jun 11, 2026
Oil surges as fresh U.S. strikes on Iran threaten fragile truce
Brent crude surged over 2% to trade above $95 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate advanced toward $93, before paring gains after the U.S. ended a brief campaign of strikes.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says it is "more convenient to publicly recognize companies that cooperate" with releasing their inventory than to enforce anti-hoarding laws.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 9, 2026
Takaichi reluctant to resolve naphtha bottleneck by enforcing laws
With naphtha-made products still in short supply, the prime minister’s government is facing questions on using two laws to punish hoarders.
Security forces stand guard during a rally by supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Sanaa, Yemen, on May 18.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 9, 2026
Why Houthi threats on Red Sea shipping could mean more pain for oil markets
Yemen’s Tehran-aligned militant group said it would ban ships linked to Israel from the Red Sea after Israel renewed its ⁠military attacks on Iran.
People attend the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2026
Global airlines slash 2026 profit forecast on fuel shock from Iran war
The downgrade underscores airlines’ exposure to geopolitical shocks and fuel volatility.
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.
A crude oil tanker and a bulk carrier anchored off Long Beach, California, last month. Conflict in the Middle East has sparked a global fuel crunch.
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2026
Oil falls as Israel and Lebanon agree to conditional ceasefire
The oil market’s main focus remains on the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which one-fifth of global crude normally passes.
Kuwaiti officials inspect damage inside a terminal at Kuwait International Airport following a drone and missile attack on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jun 4, 2026
After strikes against Kuwait, Lebanon ceasefire raises hopes of progress for Iran deal
Iranian attacks damaged Kuwait’s airport and injured dozens while the U.S. military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.
India’s oil demand growth this year could tumble to its lowest level since the pandemic as the fallout from the Middle East conflict saps fuel consumption.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 3, 2026
India’s oil demand growth set for post-pandemic low amid war crunch
India is heavily reliant on imported crude and fuels, and the Iran war has led to surging energy prices that are squeezing state-run refiners and weighing on the broader economy.
The Iran war highlights how geopolitical instability can become politically useful, allowing leaders to consolidate support and exert pressure on rivals even as ordinary citizens pay the human and economic price.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2026
The politics of chaos in the Iran conflict
As long as chaos remains politically and economically rewarding, such conflicts will remain difficult to contain.
Japan bought about 1 million metric tons of bananas last year, making the fruit one of the country’s most important grocery staples.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 2, 2026
Japan faces banana shortage as impact from Middle East conflict spreads
The country ships in the tropical fruit while it’s still green, then ripens it in rooms filled with ethylene, but supplies of the naphtha-derived gas are running low.
Rising global temperatures, worsened by climate change, war, trade disruptions and a looming El Nino, are increasingly threatening global food production.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2026
The world’s food supply is under a quadruple attack
Heat makes it much harder to effectively grow crops, raise livestock and harvest fish, as detailed in an extensive new United Nations climate change report.
Smoke rises in Lebanon following an airstrike, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday.
WORLD
Jun 2, 2026
Lebanon announces partial ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, but attacks continue
Iran insists ‌on a halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon as a condition of any deal to end the war, while the U.S. says the two conflicts are separate.
Most traders and analysts expect the Strait of Hormuz to reopen relatively soon because the economic consequences of a prolonged closure would be too severe.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2026
What if the Strait of Hormuz didn’t reopen?
History doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes. So what if something similar were to happen in the Strait of Hormuz? It’s a nightmare few contemplate.
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.
The USS Thomas Hudner at sea on May 19. U.S. strikes on Iran's Gulf coast over the weekend were in response to "aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters," the U.S. Central Command ⁠said in a post on X.
WORLD
Jun 1, 2026
U.S. says it struck Iranian military sites as Tehran responds with air base attack
Air defenses in Kuwait, where a major U.S. base is located, were intercepting missile and drone attacks on Monday as ⁠sirens sounded across the country.
Capital expenditure excluding software fell 3.5% from the previous quarter in the three months through March, according to the Finance Ministry.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 1, 2026
Japan’s firms cut spending over Iran stress despite record profits
Capital expenditure excluding software fell 3.5% from the previous quarter in the three months through March, the Finance Ministry reported Monday.
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, on Sunday.
WORLD
Jun 1, 2026
U.S. and Iran trade drafts of deal as Israel expands Lebanon assault
Israel is not party to the talks between the U.S. and Iran and it’s unclear whether it will agree to stop its side war in Lebanon if the war in Iran is resolved.
People wave Iranian national flags during an anti-U.S. and Israel protest in Tehran on Friday.
WORLD
May 31, 2026
U.S. says capable of resuming war with Iran as deal remains elusive
The White House had signaled Trump was close to a decision on a potential deal, though Tehran denied there was a final agreement on ending the conflict.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 30, 2026
Trump insists on red lines as Iran deal remains elusive
An Iranian state media report also rebutted several key elements of Trump’s characterization of the deal, with sources calling his remarks a “mixture of truth and lies.”
‘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. 
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
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.
Iran war exposed, but hasn’t changed, Japan’s reliance on imported oil
Wind turbines generate energy from strong easterly winds on the Shonai Plain in Yamagata Prefecture. Despite the oil crisis caused by conflict near the Strait of Hormuz, and concerns instability in the region could continue to impact supply and the price of imports, the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi does not seem to be drawing on the war as a pretext to hasten progress toward Japan's renewable goals.
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.

Podcast

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

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Digital marketer Netyear zeros in on generative AI
Digital marketer Netyear zeros in on generative AI

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER