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Japan maps lesser-used Southeast Asia straits to keep trade flowing

The effort is aimed at giving commercial shipping backup routes if the Strait of Malacca faces disruptions after Strait of Hormuz risks grow, with most Japanese crude imports still routed through Hormuz.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

Japan is working to reduce the risk that maritime disruptions interrupt its trade, with plans to chart five lesser-used straits in Southeast Asia to provide alternative shipping passages, according to SCMP Economy. The project would update navigational information such as depths, hazards, and navigational aids to help commercial vessels reroute when needed.

SCMP Economy reports that Japan would coordinate with Indonesia and the Philippines to create detailed nautical charts for their respective straits. The initiative is framed as an insurance policy as the Strait of Hormuz crisis continues and Tokyo steps up efforts to mitigate potential disruption to global trade.

The plan also targets concerns that strategic waters near several Malaysian states are increasingly exposed to geopolitical tensions, threatening the resilience of existing routes used for Japanese shipments. SCMP Economy notes that as much as 90.0% of Japanese crude oil imports come from Gulf states that are typically shipped through the Strait of Hormuz.

SCMP Economy says Japan has also moved to secure alternative energy sources since US attacks on Iran began in March, including building new supply chains linking to the United States, Latin America, Central Asia, and Africa. The Southeast Asia routing work is intended to support the broader goal of keeping imports, including energy, fertilisers, and electronic goods, moving even if key corridors are disrupted.

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