Everyone Hunts for Russian Oil, Japan Finally Receives First Shipment

In the midst of significant pressures on global energy supplies due to the conflict in the Middle East, Japan is taking concrete steps to secure its energy needs by receiving a shipment of oil from Russia for the first time since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. TV Tokyo, the Asahi Shimbun daily, and other media, citing an anonymous official from distributor Taiyo Oil on Tuesday (5 May 2026), reported that a tanker carrying crude oil from the Sakhalin-2 natural gas development project arrived off the coast of Imabari in western Japan. This step comes after global oil supplies were disrupted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Iran war, which has long been a vital route for world energy distribution. Japan, which has relied on imports from the Middle East for around 95% of its oil, has been seeking to diversify its energy sources since the war broke out on 28 February, when Tehran effectively closed that route. The Sakhalin-2 project in Russia’s Sakhalin region serves as one alternative because it is not subject to the global economic sanctions imposed on Moscow following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. As such, Japan can still access energy from that project. According to reports, Taiyo Oil received a request from Japan’s economy ministry to accept the oil shipment as part of the national energy supply security strategy. The crude oil is expected to be processed at refineries into various products, including petrol and naphtha, which is used to produce items ranging from plastics and chemical fibres to paints, as well as other petroleum products. Citing AFP, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasised that the pressures on global oil supplies have had a major impact on the Asia-Pacific region. Speaking in Canberra after meeting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, she described the situation as a heavy blow. She stated that the global oil supply crisis has a “very significant impact” on the Asia-Pacific region and added that Japan and Australia will respond swiftly to ensure energy supplies remain stable. Around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply typically passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so its closure has driven a significant surge in commodity prices. Takaichi previously also stated that Japan is estimated to have sufficient naphtha-based chemical products until the end of the year, after increasing imports from outside the Middle East region.