Japan to diversify crude supplies, back Mideast pipelines in resilience effort, media say

TOKYO, Aug. 26 (Reuters) - Japan is set to unveil on Wednesday a comprehensive plan to boost resilience of its energy supply, with steps such as diversifying crude oil procurement and supporting Middle East pipelines to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, media said.

The plan will be outlined at a meeting of the government's Green Transformation (GX) Implementation Council, Kyodo news agency said.

• Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi set an end-of-August deadline for preparation of a package to beef up energy resilience after the Iran war and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz highlighted Japan's heavy reliance on Middle Eastern crude.
• On Tuesday, Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa said the plan featured measures to cut dependence on supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as bolster non-fossil fuel energy supplies.
• A scheme to diversify crude procurement will see companies share the higher transport costs of importing alternative oil from outside the strait, the Nikkei business daily said.
• Japan will also cooperate with Middle Eastern countries on pipeline projects to bypass the strait through the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), Kyodo and Nikkei said.
• The plan also aims to build strategic stockpiles of naphtha, Kyodo said, after shortages of the petrochemical feedstock, used in plastics and printing inks, forced some companies to suspend sales or simplify packaging.
• The industry ministry, which was charged with drafting the plan, was not immediately available for comment.
• Middle East imports supplied 94% of Japan's crude oil in 2025, with 93% going through the Strait.