Takaichi seeks closer cooperation with IEA on energy security

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday called for stronger cooperation between Japan and the International Energy Agency amid disruptions to crude oil supplies caused by instability in the Middle East.

“I hope to make the global supply-demand structure more resilient,” Takaichi said during a meeting with IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo.

Takaichi told Birol that the government formulated a policy package in August to strengthen energy procurement, including measures to support the construction of a pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

Praising Japan’s leadership on energy security in Asia, Birol said the IEA will support such efforts.

Also on Monday, Birol met with industry minister Ryosei Akazawa at the industry ministry.

“We hope to work more closely with the IEA as the outlook for global energy supplies remains highly uncertain,” Akazawa said.