Redefining Japanese Companies’ Energy Chains in Light of the Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Designing Contingency Resilience for an Era of Compound Risks

May 2026 Senior Expert Kenichi Yoshikawa

The peacetime logic of low-cost, efficient procurement transforms directly into vulnerability in times of crisis. The Strait of Hormuz crisis has laid this fact bare, and its essence lies in a structural reality: constraints on fuel itself cause "price" and "supply" to falter simultaneously. For companies, energy is no longer a mere cost item but a strategic foundation that defines business continuity and competitiveness. This article dissects the structure through which energy risks arise and considers the shift in corporate decision-making now required.

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Ⅰ. The Vulnerability of the Energy Structure Exposed by the Strait of Hormuz Crisis

　Tensions in the Middle East, which intensified from early 2026, culminated in the unprecedented blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. As a result, the impact became severe enough to push companies to the brink of operational crisis. Addressing this crisis has now become an pressing management challenge for many corporations.

　What this crisis has made clear is that the long-taken-for-granted premise of “low-cost and stable energy supply” was in fact highly fragile in the face of geopolitical risks. This crisis cannot be understood merely as a superficial issue of rising energy prices. Rather, it must be reexamined as a challenge that directly affects operational continuity, supply chain stability, the ability to pass on costs, and ultimately the competitiveness of domestic industries.

　Most importantly...

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