Another batch of Russian oil arrives in Japan amid disrupted supplies from Middle East

TASS · 🇷🇺 public Russia · May 31, 2026 · 282 words

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What to know about Another batch of Russian oil arrives in Japan amid disrupted supplies from Middle East

The article reports on recent shipments of Russian oil from the Sakhalin-2 project to Japanese companies ENEOS, Taiyo Oil, and Idemitsu Kosan. It notes that these purchases were made to diversify energy sources amid disruptions in the Middle East, despite Japan's general ban on Russian oil imports since 2022.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center86%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Another shipment of Russian oil has been delivered to Japan amid disruptions in energy supplies from the Middle East.

Why it matters

The tanker Voyager, which delivered a batch of oil from Sakhalin to Japanese companies Taiyo Oil and Idemitsu Kosan in early May, has arrived at the Japanese company ENEOS’ terminal in the port of Kiire, according to ship tracking data seen by a TASS…

Common ground

ENEOS previously told TASS that "considering the current situation in the Middle East, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry [of Japan] requested additional alternative oil supplies," which is why the purchase was made from Russia.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Another batch of Russian oil arrives in Japan amid disrupted supplies from Middle East?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that most of which passed through the Strait of Hormuz?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/economy/2139167

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified Verified 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info Single Source 1

verified

Claim 1: “most of which passed through the Strait of Hormuz”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The IEA and other sources confirm that the Strait of Hormuz is the critical transit point for the vast majority of oil leaving the Middle East, which aligns with the claim regarding Japan's supply route.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Strait of Hormuz, through which an average of 20 million barrels per day (mb/d) of crude oil and oil products were shipped in 2025, is one of the world's most critical oil transit chokepoints.
https://www.iea.org/about/oil-security-and-emergency-respons…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Even once the Strait of Hormuz reopens, long weeks will pass before this tanker’s oil reaches any consumers. This tanker, the Mayasan, carries about two million barrels of oil, enough to fill over 100…
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/05/07/world/middlee…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In 2025, about 20 million barrels of oil and oil products passed through the Strait of Hormuz per day, according to estimates from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). That is nearly $600bn…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78n6p09pzno

verified

Claim 2: “Japan has banned oil imports from Russia after 2022”

VERIFIED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and official statements from PM Kishida, confirm that Japan committed to a 'ban in principle' on Russian oil imports following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Japan–Russia relations are the modern bilateral relations between Japan and Russia, following Empire of Japan–Russian Empire relations (1855–1917) and Japan–Soviet Union relations (1917–1991). Histori…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan–Russia_relations

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Russians in Japan (Japanese: 在日ロシア人, Zai-Nichi Roshia-jin; Russian: Русские в Японии, romanized: Russkije v Japonii) comprises every ethnic Russian living in Japan. They are one of the largest ethnic …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russians_in_Japan

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major la…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 3: “Shunichi Kito, head of the Petroleum Association of Japan and head of the Japanese company Idemitsu Kosan, has mentioned Russia as a possible alternative supplier”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny that Shunichi Kito mentioned Russia as a possible alternative supplier.

info

Claim 4: “The tanker Voyager, which delivered a batch of oil from Sakhalin to Japanese companies Taiyo Oil and Idemitsu Kosan in early May, has arrived at the Japanese company ENEOS’ terminal in the port of Kiire”

SINGLE SOURCE

While web search results mention a vessel delivering oil from Sakhalin to Taiyo Oil and Idemitsu Kosan, the specific detail about the tanker 'Voyager' arriving at ENEOS' terminal in Kiire is not independently corroborated by multiple sources in the provided evidence; the evidence focuses more on the general delivery to Taiyo and Idemitsu.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (Japanese: 株式会社商船三井, romanized: Kabushiki-gaisha Shōsen Mitsui; abbreviated MOL) is a Japanese transport company headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsui_O.S.K._Lines

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A tanker (or tank ship or tankship) is a ship designed to transport or store liquids or gases in bulk. Major types of tanker ship include the oil tanker (or petroleum tanker), the chemical tanker, car…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanker_(ship)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. [3]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_tanker

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 5: “Japanese companies, at the request of the authorities, occasionally purchase small cargoes from the Sakhalin-2 project tied to LNG deliveries”

CORROBORATED

Evidence indicates that Taiyo Oil purchased Sakhalin Blend at the request of the authorities, and other sources mention the link between Russian energy imports and strategic needs/LNG facilities.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Japan is a major consumer of energy, ranking fifth in the world by primary energy use. Fossil fuels accounted for 67% of Japan's primary energy in 2023. Japan imports most of its energy due to scarce…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_Japan

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sakhalin (Russian: Сахалин, IPA: [səxɐˈlʲin]) is a Russian island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies 6.5 km (4.0 mi) off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern ti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Sakhalin-2 (Russian: Сахалин-2) project is an oil and gas development in Sakhalin Island, Russia. It includes development of the Piltun-Astokhskoye oil field and the Lunskoye natural gas field of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin-II

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry [of Japan] requested additional alternative oil supplies”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Japan's efforts to secure oil from outside the Middle East due to regional instability, including a report that Japan expected to secure over 70% of its June procurement from non-Middle East sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (通商産業省, Tsūshō-sangyō-shō; MITI) was a ministry of the Government of Japan from 1949 to 2001. The MITI was one of the most powerful government agencies…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_International_Trad…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Japan has a highly developed mixed economy. It is known as an East Asian model for its public investment into strategic sectors. Japan is the fourth-largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Japan

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (経済産業省, Keizai-sangyō-shō; lit. 'Ministry of Economy and Industry'; METI) is a ministry of the Government of Japan. It was created by the 2001 Central Gover…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Economy,_Trade_and…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “Koichi Hagiuda, the deputy secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said later that Japan recently purchased around 720,000 barrels of oil from Russia”

CORROBORATED

Three separate web search results (including a LinkedIn post and news articles) explicitly state that Koichi Hagiuda mentioned the purchase of approximately 720,000 barrels of oil from Russia.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 · ... said later that Japan recently purchased around 720,000 barrels of oil from Russia. In recent years, Japan has relied on the Middle East for ...
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/intellinews_russian-oil-tanke…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 · And also: Japan has purchased approximately 720,000 barrels of oil from Russia ... Koichi Hagiuda, Deputy Secretary-General of Japan's ...
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/benseligman46_russianoil-sakh…

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Claim 8: “In recent years, Japan has relied on the Middle East for over 90% of its oil supplies”

CORROBORATED

Three independent news sources explicitly state that Japan relies on the Middle East for more than 90% of its oil/energy supplies.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The war in the Middle East -- a region on which Japan has relied for more than 90% of its oil supply -- has spurred Tokyo to approach other oil producers. It reached a deal last month to procure 1 mil…
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/world-starts-build-around-h…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Japan depends on the Middle East for more than 90% of its energy imports, much of which passes through the Strait of Hormuz – a critical shipping route now under strain as Iran asserts control in resp…
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/a-summit-under-strain-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Japan imports more than 90 per cent of its crude oil from the Middle East, however, and she said there had been discussions about what could be done to protect Japanese ships "regardless of a US reque…
https://www.nine.com.au/world-news/middle-east/us-israel-att…

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Claim 9: “Taiyo Oil and Idemitsu Kosan told TASS about the purchase of a batch of Russian oil from Sakhalin”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (a news report and a LinkedIn post by Ben Seligman) confirm that Taiyo Oil and Idemitsu Kosan purchased Russian oil from Sakhalin in early May and that they informed TASS.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of oil refineries. The Oil & Gas Journal publishes a worldwide list of refineries annually in a country-by-country tabulation that includes for each refinery: location, crude oil daily…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oil_refineries

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Nikkei 225, or the Nikkei Stock Average (Japanese: 日経平均株価, Hepburn: Nikkei heikin kabuka), more commonly called the Nikkei or the Nikkei index (), is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Excha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikkei_225

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (味の素株式会社, Ajinomoto kabushiki gaisha; Japanese pronunciation: [a.(d)ʑi.noꜜ.mo.to]) is a Japanese multinational food and biotechnology corporation which produces seasonings, cooking…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajinomoto

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.