ASTANA – Japan is exploring the possibility of rerouting oil from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to its domestic market amid growing concerns about supply stability due to the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil drilling and pipelines. Photo credit: Gary Kavanagh / Getty Images
More than 90% of Japan’s oil imports come from the Middle East, so the country is seeking to diversify its sources. Japanese company INPEX holds stakes in major Caspian oil fields, including the Kashagan field, with a capacity of 430,000 barrels per day, and the ACG field in Azerbaijan, which produces 350,000 barrels per day. Both fields yield medium and light crude similar to Middle Eastern oil.
Planned shipments could travel via the Red and Mediterranean Seas, bypassing the Cape of Good Hope, with delivery times of 25 to 55 days, more than double the approximately 20 days required via the Strait of Hormuz. This longer route is expected to increase transportation costs, Kazinform reported on March 30, citing the Yomiuri newspaper.
Japan is also exploring oil imports from South America and expanding supplies from the United States, which accounted for 3.8% of the country’s crude imports in 2025, its largest source outside the Middle East.
