Trending 
Japan has received its first shipment of Russian oil since global supplies were disrupted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz at the onset of the Iran war, according to local media reports.
A tanker carrying crude produced as part of the Sakhalin-II natural gas development project arrived off the coast of Imabari in western Japan on Monday, with outlets including TV Tokyo and The Asahi Shimbun citing unnamed officials from the wholesaler Taiyo Oil.
Japan, which relies on the Middle East for about 95 per cent of its crude imports, has been seeking alternative sources since the conflict disrupted shipments through the strategic waterway.
Speaking after talks in Canberra, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the ongoing supply crunch was having a significant impact on the Asia-Pacific region, adding that Japan and Australia were working urgently to stabilise energy supplies.
The project in Russia’s Sakhalin region is not covered by international sanctions imposed on Moscow following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
According to the reports, Taiyo Oil agreed to receive the shipment following a request from Japan’s economy ministry. The crude is expected to be refined into products such as gasoline and naphtha, used in manufacturing plastics, chemical fibres and paints.
Roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments typically pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and its closure has driven up global prices.
According to Takaichi, Japan has also been increasing imports from outside the Middle East to cushion the impact.
Relations between Tokyo and Moscow have deteriorated in recent years, particularly after Japan joined Western sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict.
