TOKYO - A Japanese oil tanker that transited the Strait of Hormuz late last month is expected to arrive in Japan possibly on Monday, the government said, making it the first such case since the Iran war erupted and left traffic through the vital energy route heavily restricted.
As the resource-poor nation awaits the arrival of the tanker operated by a unit of major refiner Idemitsu Kosan Co., Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi spoke with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Friday, stressing the importance of "free and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz for vessels of all countries."
In their sixth telephone conversation since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February, Motegi also called on Iran to allow the swift passage of remaining vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
The Idemitsu Maru, with three Japanese aboard, is scheduled to arrive at Idemitsu's Aichi complex in Chita, Aichi Prefecture, in central Japan.
Iranian state-run Press TV said the tanker, sailing under the flag of Panama, loaded crude oil in Saudi Arabia in early March.
Japan has relied heavily on the Middle East for crude oil, most of which normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz. The Iran conflict has sent crude oil prices surging due to supply concerns.
The ship-tracking website MarineTraffic showed the Idemitsu Maru off Japan's western main island of Shikoku as of Friday afternoon.
Another major Japanese oil company, Eneos Holdings Inc., said last week that an affiliate's oil tanker had passed through the strait, with its arrival expected between late May and early June.
According to the Japanese Shipowners' Association, 39 Japan-related vessels remain stranded in the Persian Gulf.
Motegi told Araghchi that "what matters most is that the ceasefire is maintained" between the United States and Iran, as well as the de-escalation of the situation, including in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
He also expressed his strong hope that talks toward permanently ending the war will resume promptly, it said.
