Japan PM says no immediate need for extra energy conservation amid Middle East conflict in Oil & Companies News 13/05/2026 Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said May 11 that the country does not see any immediate need for additional energy conservation measures amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. “At this point, I do not think we are at a stage where we need to ask the public for further, more drastic conservation measures,” Takaichi told the House of Councillors’ Committee on Budget session. “We must keep daily life, medical care, and various sectors running, as well as industry and the economy. If we push too hard, there could be various impacts, including the possibility of panic-buying if people believe they won’t be able to purchase fuel for a long time,” she said. “Therefore, I do not think it is appropriate to make further requests at this time. However, we will continue to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East, consider all possibilities, and respond flexibly as circumstances require.” The call to the public to conserve energy is made every summer and winter when energy demand increases, Takaichi said. “Regardless of the situation in the Middle East, I believe it is important to continue these efforts over the medium term,” she said. Japan’s petroleum reserves were equivalent to 205 days of domestic consumption as of May 8, comprising 121 days in national oil reserves, 83 days in privately held reserves and one day in a joint crude oil storage program with oil-producing countries, according to the latest data released May 11 by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Diversified imports METI said May 11 that a tanker carrying Azerbaijani crude oil for ENEOS is scheduled to arrive in Yokohama as early as May 12, marking the first tanker carrying Central Asian crude to reach Japan since the Middle East conflict began at the end of February. An ENEOS spokesperson confirmed May 11 that it will receive about 45,000 kl, or 283,041 barrels, of Azeri Light crude on the Bright Horizon at its 153,000 b/d Negishi refinery in Tokyo Bay. Japan is scheduled to receive a total of 59.169 million barrels, or 1.909 million b/d, of crude oil in May, of which US barrels are expected to account for 13.367 million barrels, or 431,184 b/d, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea(opens in a new tab) data as of May 11. This compares with Japanese imports of 2.403 million b/d of crude in May 2025, according to METI data. The VLCC Idemitsu Maru, laden with about 1.94 million barrels of crude from Saudi Arabia, is due to arrive at Nagoya on May 22, according to CAS data as of May 11. It is the first Japan-linked tanker to cross the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the US/Israeli war with Iran. In addition, the Voyager, carrying 750,377 barrels of Sakhalin Blend loaded from Russia’s Prigorodnoye port, arrived at Kikuma, western Japan, on May 5, according to CAS data, marking Japan’s first intake of Russian crude cargo since June 2025. A spokesperson for Taiyo Oil has confirmed that it received a cargo of Sakhalin Blend crude as part of its efforts to diversify crude oil procurement in response to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, at the request of the Japanese government. The spokesperson said loading operations took place over May 5-6, but declined to specify the volume, citing contractual reasons. Prior to that, the last time Taiyo Oil received a cargo of Sakhalin Blend crude was in June 2025, when it received 60