Japan has secured enough petroleum-derived naphtha to last into 2027, with imports expected to triple in May as the country tries to address concerns about sufficient supplies of oil and oil-derived products.

Questions over possible shortages of naphtha ¡ª used for products ranging from medical supplies to cheap consumer goods to plastic foam, paint thinner and construction materials ¡ª have been rising due to the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, which disrupted oil supplies from the Middle East.

¡°We had previously indicated that the supply of naphtha-derived chemical products would continue for more than six months,¡± Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a government meeting about the situation in the Middle East on Thursday evening.

¡°However, it is now expected to be extended further and continue into the next year.¡±

The government said that naphtha supplies from countries outside of the Middle East ¡ª such as the United States, Algeria and Peru ¡ª will triple in May to 1.35 million kiloliters per month, compared to levels prior to the Iran conflict.

Japan has 1.8 months¡¯ worth of inventories of products such as polyethylene, she added. But she also asked the public and manufacturers to avoid hoarding naphtha-derived products, as the forecast is based on last year¡¯s demand.

¡°For this reason, we¡¯re posting notices at home improvement stores, asking customers purchasing paint, paint thinners, adhesives and similar items to limit their purchases to normal quantities,¡± she said.

In the healthcare sector, she said the government was making steady progress in resolving distribution bottlenecks for products such as surgical scalpel disinfectants and solvents used in the manufacture of medications for headaches and fevers.

As for crude oil, Japan has secured about 60% of its supply for May via imports that will bypass the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, a tanker carrying 910,000 barrels of crude oil procured from the U.S. arrived in Japan for the first time since the war started.

Japan will begin releasing 20 days¡¯ worth of oil from its domestic stockpiles on Saturday. It is the second release in response to the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, following the first release of 30 days¡¯ worth in late March.

Last year, 93% of Japan¡¯s total oil total imports came via the strait. The Takaichi government has responded to the crisis so far through the stockpile release and seeking non-Middle Eastern oil sources.

¡°As alternative procurement expands, the government expects to be able to secure the total volume required for Japan as a whole through the end of the year ¡ª even under the conservative assumption that only 50% of alternative procurement is achieved from June onward ¡ª by limiting the release of national reserves,¡± Takaichi said Thursday.