The renewed tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz have once again highlighted the fragility of global energy security and the close relationship between geopolitics, maritime trade and economic stability. As one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, any disruption to shipping through the strait carries consequences far beyond the Gulf region. For Japan, however, the challenge extends beyond the possibility of temporary shortages of crude oil and petrochemical products.

The renewed tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz have once again highlighted the fragility of global energy security and the close relationship between geopolitics, maritime…

The Iran war has made Japan keenly aware of how totally dependent it is on oil from the Gulf, which made up more than 95 percent of its oil imports before the closure of the…