May 26, 2026
TOKYO – A crude oil tanker owned by a subsidiary of Japanese major oil distributor Idemitsu Kosan Co. arrived at a pier off Chita, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday after crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
The Idemitsu Maru, which arrived at Ise Wan Sea Berth at around noon, is the first crude oil tanker to arrive in Japan via the Strait of Hormuz since the situation in the Middle East deteriorated in late February.
The Panama-flagged, 333-meter-long tanker has three Japanese nationals on board.
According to Idemitsu Kosan, the tanker was carrying about 2 million barrels of crude oil from Saudi Arabia, equivalent to about 80% of Japan’s daily domestic consumption. The oil will be transported from the Berth via an undersea pipeline to the company’s refinery in the city.
The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry said the Idemitsu Maru passed through the Strait of Hormuz in late April and arrived in waters near Japan after sailing south of the Indian subcontinent, moving through the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea.
Several government officials have said no transit fees were paid to the Iranian side for the tanker’s passage through the strait.
In late April, the Iranian Embassy in Tokyo posted a picture on X of the Nissho Maru oil tanker, which used to belong to Idemitsu Kosan. In 1953, the ship passed a British blockade to buy oil from Iran.
A crude oil tanker belonging to refining group Eneos also passed through the Strait of Hormuz in mid-May.