Japan to release oil stocks as US says buy American

try{ var _=i o; . if(!_||_&&typeof _==="object"&&_.expiry Trump vows to “bomb the hell out of the shoreline” to reopen Hormuz Goldman warns S&P 500 could decline to 6300 if growth weakens AI winners and losers: This sector is seen as ’a clear beneficiary’ Morgan Stanley says Fed risks are skewed towards later and more cuts (South Africa Philippines Nigeria) Japan to release oil stocks as US says buy American By Commodities Published 03/15/2026, 03:53 AM Updated 03/15/2026, 03:54 AM Japan to release oil stocks as US says buy American 0 CL 3.11% By Katya Golubkova and Yuka Obayashi TOKYO, March 15 - Japan plans to start releasing oil from its stockpiles on Monday to soften the shock from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, a stark reminder of the oil crisis half a century ago that prompted Tokyo to create reserves. As gasoline prices across Japan started to rise with the war disrupting supplies from the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz, Tokyo pledged to release a record 80 million barrels of oil, about 45 days of supply for the resource-poor nation. The government has asked Japan’s refiners to use the released crude, which will reduce the national reserves by 17%, to secure domestic supplies. It is not known how much of the oil will go to a global release of 400 million barrels being coordinated by the International Energy Agency to address the war’s supply shock and price volatility. RESERVES CAN STABILISE SUPPLY BUT ’MAINLY BUY TIME’ Japan’s release shows how seriously Tokyo views the disruption, said Yuriy Humber, CEO of Tokyo-based consultancy Yuri Group. "The reserves can help stabilise supplies and prices in the short term but they mainly buy time. They can’t fully offset a prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz," he said. Any potential release from 12 million barrels jointly held in Japan by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait would be in addition to the announced 80 million barrels, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry says. Japan started its national ...