Crisis prompts Japan to cut heavy reliance on Middle East oil

The latest Middle East crisis has re-awakened Japan to the need to reduce its heavy reliance on oil from the volatile region and should spur it to step up efforts to secure alternative energy suppliers.

“Japan should seriously take action to secure alternative energy sources,” said Hiroyuki Aoyama, an expert on the Middle East at the Institute of Developing Economies in Tokyo. “A Russian pipeline project could be one of the keys to Tokyo’s energy security.”

yahoo