Japan to Receive First Oil Tanker to Exit Hormuz Since War Began

By Stephen Stapczynski

May 22, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Japan — one of Asia’s biggest importers of energy from the Middle East — flagged the impending arrival of the first Persian Gulf oil shipment to transit the contested Strait of Hormuz since the Iran war began.

The Idemitsu Maru, a very large crude carrier that passed through the waterway in late April, could dock as soon as Monday, according to the trade ministry. Hauling 2 million barrels of Saudi crude, the vessel is on track to arrive at Idemitsu Kosan Co.’s Aichi refinery, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in