Japan to Release Oil from National Reserve Starting Thursday

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:50 JST, March 24, 2026

The government will release oil from the national reserve beginning Thursday to help shield the economy from the Middle East conflict, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday.

“Maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East, including ensuring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, is critically important, also from the standpoint of securing stable energy supplies,” Takaichi said during a meeting of Cabinet members on the Middle East crisis at the Prime Minister’s Office.

She also stressed that electricity and gas prices would not rise immediately.

Takaichi instructed ministers, including Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa, to draft measures to ensure a stable supply of petroleum products, including naphtha.

As petroleum is supplied through separate supply chains depending on the end use, whether that be fuel or feedstock, the response will include comprehensive measures for securing a stable supply.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, was attended by Akazawa; Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi; Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi; Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Yasushi Kaneko; and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Norikazu Suzuki.