TOKYO: Japan plans to provide support for alternative pipelines in the Middle East as it seeks to improve energy security in the wake of the Iran war, local media reported Wednesday. Before the conflict began in February, the world’s fourth-biggest economy was heavily reliant on oil imports passing through the now-strangled Strait of Hormuz. The Nikkei daily reported that Japan will assist initiatives by Saudi Arabia and other countries to expand and build new routes for crude which bypass the waterway.

Tokyo, Aug. 24 (Jiji Press)--Japan is stepping up diplomatic efforts to ensure free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, both critical…

Government aims to diversify oil import routes to bolster energy security