Japan and France agreed on Wednesday to coordinate closely in efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas tankers, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said.
"Because the international situation is so challenging, I believe there is great significance in the leaders of Japan and France deepening their personal ties and making our cooperation even stronger," Takaichi said after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Tokyo.
With the Middle East conflict now in its fifth week, Japan, France and other countries are grappling with rising energy costs. Unless the conduit for roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows reopens, they could face shortages of petroleum products.
Japan, which typically sources around 90% of its oil from the Middle East, has begun drawing on its reserves to cushion the economic impact.
Speaking alongside Takaichi, Macron said he shared her position on the need to restore freedom of navigation in the strait.
France has held talks with dozens of countries as it seeks proposals for a mission to reopen the waterway once the conflict ends. Japan has said it could consider dispatching minesweepers, although any role would be constrained by its pacifist constitution.
The two leaders also said they would pursue closer security ties in the Indo-Pacific and signed agreements on cooperation in critical mineral supply chains, civilian nuclear technology and artificial intelligence.
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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi have called for urgent action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as escalating conflict continues to choke one of the world’s most critical energy routes.
Japan and Indonesia will deepen coordination on energy security, Tokyo said, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran disrupts vital oil and gas flows to Asia.
Japan’s growing interest in Caspian crude reflects a pragmatic response to uncertainty in global energy markets and its continued reliance on the Middle East for more than 90% of its oil imports.
China imposed sanctions on Japanese lawmaker Keiji Furuya on Monday, who is a close aide of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, due to his "collusion with Taiwan independence" forces, in its latest move in a diplomatic row over Taiwan.
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There are fears of an oil spill after a drone strike hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai on Tuesday, while U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed at least two people. A loud explosion was heard in Beirut in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, as oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
China's three largest state-owned airlines have issued warnings regarding their financial outlook for the current year, acknowledging that the eruption of war involving Iran has driven jet fuel prices to unsustainable highs.
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