Japan not ruling out option of releasing oil reserve on its own: minister

TOKYO - The Japanese government "is not ruling out" the option of releasing its national oil reserves unilaterally rather than as part of a coordinated move, industry minister Ryosei Akazawa said Wednesday, as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran spurs concerns about supplies to the resource-scarce Asian country.

Akazawa made the comment at a Diet committee session in response to a question by a lawmaker about the possibility of taking such a step for the first time since the system was established in 1978.