Ministerial Meeting on the Situation within the Middle East | Prime Minister in Motion

[Provisional translation]

On March 31, 2026, Prime Minister Takaichi attended the second Ministerial Meeting on the Situation within the Middle East on the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the assembly, the individuals engaged in discussions on the state of affairs within the Middle East and associated issues.

Based on the dialogue, the Prime Minister said:

“Thank you very much for the dedication you all have shown. This is our second meeting that follows last week’s session. I would like to extend my gratitude to the relevant ministers for various efforts they have already made with a sense of urgency and promptness.

On my part, following last week’s ministerial meeting, I held summit telephone meetings with the leaders of the Marshall Islands, Malaysia, and the Philippines. I called on them to join the ‘Joint Statement’ regarding safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and the Marshall Islands has announced its intention to participate in the statement.

On March 25, I met with Executive Director Birol of the IEA (International Energy Agency). We confirmed our commitment to continue working closely together, including the possibility of another round of coordinated stock release. I am scheduled to hold summit meetings with the leader of Indonesia later today and with the leader of France tomorrow.

We intend to seize various opportunities to communicate closely with relevant countries at various levels and to make all necessary diplomatic efforts toward the early de-escalation of the situation in the Middle East, including ensuring the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Furthermore, we will continue to respond with a sense of urgency, including the protection of Japanese nationals.

With regard to the impact of the Middle East situation on the domestic economy, first we started to provide subsidies for gasoline, diesel, heavy oil, and other products on March 19. As a result, we successfully curbed gasoline prices, which surged to 190.8 yen per liter as of March 16, or the day before subsidies began, down to 170.2 yen as of yesterday.

We are also releasing oil stockpiles as planned. In addition, procurement via alternative routes that bypass the Strait of Hormuz is progressing, and I am pleased to report that a tanker that did not pass through the Strait arrived in Japan last Saturday, on March 28.

In this way, as for crude oil and petroleum products, let us secure the necessary volume for Japan as a whole, while pushing ahead with efforts to diversify our supply sources.

In some quarters, we have observed shortages in fuel supplies for bus operators, ferry operators, and trucking companies as well as for factories, fisheries, and agriculture. While we have managed to resume supplies for local route buses in the Kyushu region and for undersea cable-laying vessels on a case-by-case basis, I request that the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry respond carefully to the voices of fuel consumers reported to the information provision desk.

Moreover, please make every effort to ensure stable supply of critical materials that may face supply constraints due to the situation in the Middle East, including petroleum-related products that do not serve as energy sources, such as naphtha. The same applies to those related to healthcare, agriculture, and packaging.

In particular, there must never be any disruption to the supply of pharmaceutical products such as blood transfusion packs, medical devices such as dialysis circuits and syringes, and medical supplies such as medical gloves and aprons, as these items are directly linked to the lives of the people. I ask the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare to work in close coordination and make every effort to protect the lives and livelihoods of the public and ensure stable supply by all means.

Meanwhile, some medical products such as components for artificial dialysis are manufactured in Asian countries using petroleum products from the Middle East as raw materials. The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare is currently conducting a comprehensive inspection of resin-based consumables across the country to prevent disruption in medical settings. We do not expect immediate supply disruption. I ask the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare to collaborate with relevant stakeholders and take prompt measures such as procuring alternative products from around the world.

We will also consider mutual cooperation and support with Asian countries, which supply these essential items for Japan and offer important economic opportunities to Japanese companies and people, from the perspective of securing product supply and supply chains.

Yesterday, I appointed Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akazawa as Minister in charge of ensuring the stable supply of critical materials in response to the situation in the Middle East, to conduct overall coordination for stable supply of critical products that may face supply constraints due to the situation in the Middle East. In addition, today, under Minister Akazawa, we established a task force in the Cabinet Secretariat, composed of director-general level officials from relevant ministries and agencies, to ensure stable supply of critical materials in response to the situation in the Middle East.

In order to protect the lives and livelihoods of the people, I ask Minister Akazawa to lead the task force in comprehensively reviewing the supply situation for critical materials affected by the situation in the Middle East, including petroleum products and related items, and based on the entire supply chain, including overseas, examining concrete response policies to ensure stable supply of critical materials.

That is all from me. Thank you very much to all the ministers for your dedication in your respective areas. I would appreciate your continued efforts.”