Japan has received its first shipment of Russian crude oil since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz choked off global energy supplies at the start of the Iran war, multiple Japanese media reports confirmed Tuesday.
A tanker carrying crude from the Sakhalin-2 project, located in Russia’s far east, reached the coast of Imabari in western Japan on Monday and began offloading to a refinery, according to public broadcaster NHK and other outlets, citing sources at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Japanese oil wholesaler Taiyo Oil received the cargo on METI’s instruction as part of urgent efforts by the government to stabilise energy supply chains disrupted by the crisis.
Japan depends on the Middle East for roughly 95 percent of its oil imports, a structural vulnerability that has been sharply exposed since the outbreak of hostilities on February 28 led Tehran to effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. Roughly one fifth of the world’s oil normally flows through the waterway, with 80 percent of that volume destined for Asian markets, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The Sakhalin-2 project remains exempt from the sweeping sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, allowing Japan to maintain limited engagement with the venture. A United States waiver permitting oil purchases from the project is due to expire in June, adding a further layer of uncertainty to Japan’s supply outlook. The crude will be processed into products including gasoline and naphtha, a key industrial input used in plastics, chemical fibres, and paints.
Japan is not alone in turning to Russia to cushion the impact of the Hormuz disruption. The Philippines, Indonesia, and South Korea have made similar purchases in recent weeks as Asian governments scramble for alternative supply routes that bypass the blockaded waterway.
The development coincided with a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to Australia, where she met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Monday for high-level talks on energy security, defence, and critical minerals. “The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been inflicting enormous impact on the Indo-Pacific,” Takaichi told reporters after the talks. “We affirmed that Japan and Australia will closely communicate with each other in responding with a sense of urgency.”
Albanese said the agreed measures would help shield Australia from the shocks caused by the Middle East conflict, noting that the two countries remain deeply intertwined through energy trade. Australia is Japan’s largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and provides roughly one third of its overall energy needs, while Japan supplies approximately seven percent of Australia’s diesel.
Both governments signed a series of agreements covering energy supply chain resilience, defence cooperation, and critical minerals. Australia also announced support of up to A$1.3 billion for critical mineral projects involving Japanese partners, covering resources including gallium, nickel, graphite, rare earths, and fluorite.
Takaichi had earlier said Tokyo expects to maintain sufficient stocks of key naphtha-derived chemical products through the end of the year after moving to increase imports from suppliers outside the Middle East.
