The Japan-linked crude carrier Idemitsu Maru reached the Gulf of Oman after passing through the Strait of Hormuz, completing the first direct outbound transit by a tanker carrying oil to Japan since war began on February 28. Japanese and Iranian accounts confirmed the passage.
The Panamanian-flagged very large crude carrier was managed by a unit of Japanese refiner Idemitsu Kosan. It carried two million barrels of Saudi crude and had three Japanese crew members aboard, according to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Ship-tracking data showed the vessel had cleared the strait early on Wednesday and was expected to reach Nagoya by mid-May.
The tanker had loaded at Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura terminal in early March, then waited off Abu Dhabi for weeks as conflict and restrictions disrupted shipping. It began its outbound journey late on Monday after intensive talks between Tokyo and Tehran, Japanese media reported. Iran's Tasnim news agency said authorities had approved the passage.
Takaichi said Japan had repeatedly asked Iran to restore safe and free navigation for vessels of all countries. Japan's Foreign Ministry called the successful transit a positive development, including for the protection of Japanese nationals. Unnamed Japanese officials said no transit fee was paid, although tracking data indicated the tanker used an outbound route designated by the IRGC near Larak Island.
The voyage offered relief to a country that had imported more than 90 percent of its crude from the Middle East before the war, with most shipments traveling through Hormuz. Japan released 30 days of strategic oil reserves in March and planned another 20-day drawdown for May 1. Takaichi said alternative arrangements would cover about 60 percent of Japan's May crude needs without relying on the strait, much of it through US imports.
The Idemitsu Maru was not the first commercial ship of any nationality to leave the Gulf during the disruption. Vessels connected to China, India, Pakistan, France and Turkey had also exited. Several Japanese-linked gas carriers had made passages, but they were not delivering their cargoes to Japan. Around 40 Japan-related ships remained stuck in the Gulf because of navigation risks and expensive war insurance.
The transit also held historical resonance. Idemitsu's predecessor sent the Nissho Maru to carry Iranian oil in 1953 despite international pressure. Iran's embassy in Japan referred to that history after the latest passage, though analysts could not determine whether it affected the operational decision.
The successful voyage was therefore a selective exception, not evidence that normal traffic had resumed. Iran still restricted most commercial passage and the United States maintained a blockade against Iranian ports. The case demonstrated that negotiated transit was possible while leaving the broader energy chokepoint and regional shipping system unsettled.
