Japan has received its first shipment of Russian oil since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Iran war. A tanker carrying crude from the Sakhalin-2 natural gas project arrived off the coast of Imabari in western Japan on Monday, according to TV Tokyo, the Asahi Shimbun, and other media citing unnamed officials from Taiyo Oil. The delivery comes as Japan seeks to diversify energy sources after relying on the Middle East for 95 percent of its oil imports. The Sakhalin-2 project is not subject to sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Taiyo Oil received a request from Japan's economy ministry to accept the petroleum. The crude will be processed at a refinery into gasoline, naphtha, and other petroleum products. Naphtha is used in the production of plastics, chemical fibers, and paints. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a global oil supply crunch is having an "enormous impact" on the Asia-Pacific region. She spoke in Canberra after talks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The two nations agreed to act urgently to secure stable energy supplies. Takaichi noted last week that Japan expects to have sufficient naphtha-derived products beyond the end of the year due to increased imports from non-Middle Eastern sources. Japan's ties with Russia have deteriorated since Tokyo joined international sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. Officials from Taiyo Oil were not immediately available for comment.
Japan is now importing Russian oil while maintaining sanctions on Moscow, a contradiction rooted in its own energy dependency. The same government that joined global penalties over Ukraine is accepting petroleum from a project linked to sanctioned Russian entities. This shift offers no relief to Nigerian consumers facing fuel price hikes from global supply shocks. The scramble exposes how energy crises force nations into inconsistent positions, regardless of policy stances.
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