Japan is executing its most ambitious energy emergency plan ever, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announcing the country will begin its biggest-ever oil release this Thursday. Approximately 80 million barrels — covering 45 days of domestic demand — will be made available to domestic refiners. The release is a direct response to the threat that the US-Israel war on Iran poses to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
Japan’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil exceeds 90% of its import needs, creating exceptional vulnerability to any prolonged disruption of Hormuz shipping. The government acted after the conflict began affecting tanker routes, approving a release of 15 days’ worth of private-sector reserves last week before moving to deploy the larger national stockpile. The combined scale of this response underscores the gravity of the situation.
Measured against Japan’s previous emergency benchmark — the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011 — the current release is 1.8 times larger. Japan’s total oil reserves stand at approximately 470 million barrels, sufficient for 254 days of domestic usage. The government’s strategy is to get ahead of potential shortages by ensuring refiners have sufficient crude to maintain normal operations.
Gasoline prices had reached a historic ¥190.8 per litre before the government introduced subsidies to bring them down to around ¥170. Separately, social media panic about possible toilet paper shortages prompted strong reassurances from the trade ministry and the Japan Household Paper Industry Association. The association confirmed that 97% of Japan’s toilet paper is manufactured domestically and that supply remains robust and unaffected.
Internationally, Japan has declined military involvement in the Hormuz situation, with Takaichi citing the country’s postwar constitution in rejecting Trump’s call for Japanese naval forces to be deployed. Tokyo instead pledged sustained diplomatic engagement with all relevant regional and global partners. The government remains steadfast in its dual commitment to protecting Japan’s energy security and promoting peaceful resolution of the conflict.