Japan to begin biggest-ever oil release from national reserves as Middle East energy crisis bites

PM Sanae Takaichi says about 80m barrels of stockpiled oil to be provided to refiners – equivalent to 45 days of domestic demand • Middle East crisis – live updates Japan will begin the biggest-ever release of oil from its strategic reserves this week, the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has said, as the country braces for possible shortages caused by the US-Israel war on Iran. The government last week approved the release of 15 days’ worth of private-sector reserves, amid concern that the c...

By Justin McCurry in Tokyo