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2026-09-18 14:44:10
[Japan Petroleum Association: Refiners have secured sufficient crude oil supplies up to November, but cannot rule out the possibility of releasing national reserves] (1) The Japan Petroleum Association said on Friday that despite concerns that renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels in Yemen could escalate tensions in the Middle East, Japanese refiners have secured sufficient crude oil supplies up to November. (2) Japan Petroleum Association Chairman Shunichi Kito said that crude oil shipments from Saudi Arabia have not completely stopped due to ship-to-ship transshipment outside the Strait of Hormuz. (3) He said, “In some cases, oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz at the risk of Saudi Arabia and is then transshipped to us outside the Gulf. Therefore, supplies from Saudi Arabia have not completely stopped.” (4) He added that there is no guarantee that this situation will continue. (5) He also said that the possibility of needing to release additional Japanese national reserves cannot be ruled out, as it is difficult to predict how the situation will evolve.
