Japan Takaichi seeks talks with Iran, Trump by April 7
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- Sanae Takaichi announced on April 6 that she is preparing leadership‑level talks with Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei and is seeking a separate phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
- Donald Trump warned he will bomb Iranian power plants unless Iran opens the Strait of Hormuz, setting an April 7 deadline.
- Japan secured passage for two Japanese vessels through the Strait of Hormuz on April 3‑4, the first such crossings since the U.S.–Israeli strike on Iran.
- Mitsui OSK Lines confirmed a partially owned LNG tanker crossed the strait on April 3 and a subsidiary‑owned LPG tanker on April 4, neither bound for Japan.
- Minoru Kihara reported that 43 Japan‑linked vessels remain stuck in the strait.
- Koichiro Tanaka warned that U.S. reluctance to act as regional guarantor could create a gap for China to expand influence in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.
- Sanae Takaichi said Japan holds eight months of oil reserves and at least four months of domestic‑demand naphtha stockpiled, refuting reports of a June shortage.
Why it matters: Japan safeguards its oil and naphtha supplies and keeps shipping lanes open through the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran faces intensified U.S. pressure from the April 7 ultimatum; the United States risks losing regional influence to China if it steps back, reshaping energy flows and power dynamics.
