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July 10, 2026
 

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OIL

Cargo ships are seen in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran on March 11.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 22, 2026
Iran prepared to let Japanese ships transit Hormuz, FM says
While most G7 nations have poor relations with Iran, Japan has relatively friendly ties with the country, potentially giving Tokyo more diplomatic sway.
The liquefied natural gas production facility in Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 20, 2026
Weeks of war are reshaping the global gas market for years to come
Three weeks of conflict in the Middle East have upended the entire energy supply chain and LNG may be one of the most acute pain points in an expanding crisis.
BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 19, 2026
BOJ stands pat amid growing Middle East uncertainty
The decision to maintain its policy rate at 0.75% was widely expected by the market and central bank watchers.
Flight cancellations caused by the Iran war are prompting European travelers to cancel trips to Japan.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2026
Conflict in Iran impacting inbound travel to Japan
Hotels in Japan have seen cancellations from those planning to visit from Europe via major airports in the Middle East.
Oil storage containers and facilities in Germany. The cost of the EU's fossil fuel imports has risen by €6 billion since the start of the Iran war, putting massive upward pressure on the continent’s power prices.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Mar 19, 2026
Iran war energy shock sparks global push to reduce fossil fuel dependence
Ideas include expanding nuclear energy and renewables, growing strategic stockpiles and domestic production, and diversifying foreign sources of supply.
A gas station in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 18, 2026
Japan to roll out gasoline subsidies amid record-high prices
The national average retail prices of gasoline have exceeded ¥190 per liter.
A gas flare at the Dangote Industries oil refinery and fertilizer plant site in the Ibeju Lekki district of Lagos on March 2. The 650,000 barrel-a-day plant has been ramping up to full capacity since starting operations in 2024.
WORLD
Mar 18, 2026
African economies vulnerable as Gulf conflict chokes flow of fuel shipments
The squeeze is exposing how refinery closures and underinvestment have left much of the continent dependent on a single trade route.
A screenshot of the website run by Japanese snack maker Yamayoshi Seika shows the package of its flagship "wasabeef" potato chips, whose production has been halted due to the Iran crisis.
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2026
Hormuz crisis takes a bite out of Japan’s potato chips supply
Snack maker Yamayoshi Seika has stopped producing six items — including its flagship Wasabeef potato chips — due to difficulty procuring heavy oil used in manufacturing.
Air travel keeps deteriorating — especially in the U.S., with longer lines, higher costs, and fewer amenities — leaving millions of travelers increasingly frustrated and feeling economically squeezed.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2026
Flying is abysmal and It’s only getting worse
Regardless of airline: Seats get smaller, lines get longer, amenities become rarer and more expensive, customer service gets worse and more flights are delayed and canceled.
A man walks down a street in the rain as Cuba reconnected its electrical grid across much of the island, according to the Energy and Mines Ministry, following a nationwide blackout that left about 10 million people without electricity, in Havana on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 18, 2026
Cuba’s worst fuel crisis in decades may get relief from Russia
A tanker carrying Russian crude appears headed to Cuba as the fuel-starved island seeks a reprieve three months after the U.S. effectively shut off the flow of oil to the country.
India’s reliance on imported gas has created a crisis where LPG cylinders meant for households are scarce for restaurants and small industries, exposing vulnerabilities in the nation’s energy transition.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2026
The war in Iran hits Indian curries — and crematoriums
Commercial kitchens are starting to crater under a severe shortage of liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG.
An attendant holds a petrol nozzle after refueling a car at a PetroChina gas station in Beijing on March 10.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 18, 2026
China’s fuel export ban to further tighten Asia supply
Australia, Bangladesh and the Philippines are ​especially reliant on Chinese fuel supply and will have to cover their needs elsewhere.
The liquefied natural gas tanker Sohshu Maru approaches a thermal power station in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, in December 2021.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2026
Japan’s energy dilemma in an era of volatility
Between 30% to 40% of Japan’s power generation relies on LNG, yet the country maintains only two to three weeks of LNG feedstock for electricity generation.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo in January.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 17, 2026
BOJ likely to sit tight as Middle East conflict clouds economic outlook
Though a rate hike is unlikely this month, if the yen’s depreciation continues, pressure on the bank to act will likely grow at the next meeting in April.
Tankers sail in the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz in United Arab Emirates on March 11. Discussions in Tokyo about escorting Japanese vessels have centered on whether this would require parliamentary or Cabinet approval.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 17, 2026
How Tokyo politicians view the Iran war
While government officials deny the possibility of an immediate Self-Defense Forces deployment, U.S. calls for support mean discussions are sure to intensify.
A gasoline tanker truck at an Idemitsu Kosan gas station in Tokyo on Monday. Curbs on production of petrochemical products by multiple Japanese firms point to a brewing crisis that could stunt pressure sectors from food to technology.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 17, 2026
Limited supplies of naphtha an underrecognized supply chain risk in Japan
Curbs on production by multiple Japanese petrochemical firms point to a brewing crisis that could stunt pressure sectors from food to technology.
Traffic lights along the coastline of Havana during a blackout on Monday
WORLD
Mar 17, 2026
Trump vows to ‘take’ Cuba as island reels from oil embargo
The Caribbean island of 9.6 million people is grappling with yet another major power cut.
A vessel sits at anchor at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman, on Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2026
Gulf importers race to reroute as Hormuz closure jolts supply chains
The closure has logistics companies racing to overcome the headaches of changing vessel destinations and keeping perishable items from spoiling.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during an Upper House Budget Committee meeting on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 16, 2026
Takaichi says no current plan to deploy SDF for Hormuz escort mission
The prime minister said such an operation would be legally “very difficult,” adding that Japan had not been asked to join a coalition to help secure vessels in the waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 16, 2026
Trump threatens Xi summit delay if China doesn’t help in Hormuz
Trump stressed China’s dependence on oil from the Middle East in an interview with The Financial Times, as he reiterated a demand for Beijing to help unblock the key waterway.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Trump says ‘Japan’ instead of Iran at meeting in Ankara
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
Wakatakakage injury casts pall over July meet, but potential new stars loom
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in August 2024.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.

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

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