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July 12, 2026
 

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OIL

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, in Busan, South Korea, last October.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 18, 2026
China steps up Iran diplomacy while seeking smooth summit with Trump
China is accelerating its efforts to end the Iran war, walking a diplomatic tightrope as it prepares for a summit next month with U.S. President Donald Trump while trying not to alienate Tehran.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Friday indicted five Japanese oil distributors, including East Japan Usami, Eneos Wing and Enex Fleet, over their alleged operation of a price cartel for gas oil.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
Five Japanese oil distributors indicted over cartel after FTC probe
According to the indictment, officials from the firms allegedly agreed to raise the selling prices of gas oil and curb price reduction at meetings in Tokyo in 2024.
An oil refinery in Yokohama. The government has stressed that the total volume of oil needed for Japan as a whole can be sourced from reserves and alternate locations that do not require transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
Japanese government urges suppliers not to hold back critical materials from the market
It insists that shortages are in part the result of companies limiting sales due to fear of future scarcity.
Crude oil buyers in Japan led the charge to purchase May-loading cargoes from the U.S. early in the month, along with South Korean, Singapore and Thai processors.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2026
Asia relying on U.S. crude to replace Middle East supply
U.S. exports of oil, including crude and refined products, reached a record 13 million barrels a day last week, government data showed.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand. With the fragile U.S.-Iran ​ceasefire in mind, analysts and investors warn Thailand faces another difficult year.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Apr 16, 2026
Foreign investors flee Thailand as Iran war dashes hope for economic revival
The conflict has sent global oil prices up to near $100 a barrel, sharpening the focus on Asia’s reliance on energy supplies from the Gulf.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2026
Japan foreign minister urges diplomacy in call with Iran
Toshimitsu Motegi reiterated the importance of keeping the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. in place in his latest conversation with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters Wednesday at the Prime Minister’s Office following an online meeting with Southeast Asian leaders.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2026
Japan to provide $10 billion to Southeast Asia to secure oil
Sanae Takaichi added that Japan relies on Asian nations to secure medical supplies like surgery gloves.
Smoke rises from the Thai-registered bulk carrier Mayuree Naree near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after it was attacked.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 15, 2026
Gulf oil crisis reveals shortcomings in government readiness
After just two weeks, the International Energy Agency concluded that the Iran war had created the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.
The Bank of Japan’s board will likely discuss lifting its key price projection for this fiscal year after oil prices surged roughly 50% since the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2026
BOJ could raise price outlook sharply on oil shock, central bank watchers say
Uncertainty over the Middle East conflict will also likely lead officials to consider lowering the economic growth forecast.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks at an International Institute of Finance event during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings in Washington on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2026
Bessent says China has been unreliable partner by hoarding oil during war
China already had a strategic petroleum reserve that was roughly the same size as that of the entire reserve held by the 32-member International Energy Agency.
Peelable paper tubes for a solid perfume made from mineral paper on display at Yonwoo's cosmetic packaging factory in Incheon, South Korea
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Apr 15, 2026
Iran war promises green edge for Asia as plastic packaging runs short
Across Asia, changes that ⁠environmental groups have sought for decades are quickly being adopted, even if they may prove a short-term flip.
Farmers separate wheat grains from husks at a farm on the outskirts of Varanasi, India, on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Apr 15, 2026
India’s green fuel plans collide with farmers’ water fears
India, which imports 80% of its oil and gas, has made ethanol central to its clean energy plans and, as war in the Mideast impacts the price and supply of oil, its energy security.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet taxis the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 2.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2026
U.S. allies are steering clear of naval mission in Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump insists U.S. allies are ready to help him in the Strait of Hormuz. They’re not even close.
An explosion during an Israeli strike in Beirut on March 31
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2026
IMF cuts growth outlook and warns world drifting toward ‘adverse scenario’
Under the IMF’s worst-case outlook, the global economy teeters on the brink of recession, with oil prices averaging $110 a barrel ​in 2026 and $125 in 2027.
A ship is seen in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Sharjah, UAE, the day after the failure of U.S.-Iran peace talks on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2026
U.S. and Iran may resume talks this week despite port blockade
While the U.S. blockade drew angry rhetoric from Tehran, signs that diplomatic engagement might continue helped calm oil markets.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 14, 2026
U.S. and Iran weigh further truce talks with Trump blockade underway
The two sides’ negotiating teams could return to Islamabad later this week for a second round of talks.
Georges Elhedery, CEO of HSBC Holdings, during an interview in Hong Kong on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 14, 2026
HSBC CEO warns U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is damaging global confidence
The London-based lender is among the European banks most exposed to the Middle East, a region that accounts for roughly 4% of its pretax profit.
A vessel is seen at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 14, 2026
What does a U.S. naval blockade of Iran mean for oil flows?
Oil tankers were steering clear of the strait on Monday.
An oil tanker is docked unloading crude oil at the port in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province, on April 7.
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2026
Xi’s petroyuan dream gets new life from Trump’s war in Iran
The conflict is spurring a fresh wave of enthusiasm over prospects for China’s currency to more effectively rival the U.S. dollar.
Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary To Lam takes his oath as Vietnam's President during the legislature's session at the National Assembly in Hanoi on April 7.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 14, 2026
Xi to meet Vietnam leader as Hormuz blockade risks energy flows
The war in Iran has raised global supply risks and is pushing Hanoi to deepen cooperation with China, its largest trading partner.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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