Japan embraces World Realignment
From Embargo to Energy Ally: The Striking Irony of Japan Turning to the United States for Oil In March 2026, as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sat across from President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, the two leaders announced ambitious new energy cooperation agreements—including plans for Japan to stockpile U.S. crude oil domestically, expand imports of Alaskan oil, and channel billions into American energy infrastructure. Amid disruptions to Middle East supplies caused by conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, Japan—still dependent on the region for roughly 90% of its crude—is actively diversifying toward its longtime ally. Trump and Takaichi exchanged warm words, with the president praising Japan’s “stepping up” and the prime minister reaffirming the unbreakable partnership. The scene could not be more different from December 1941. The 1941 Oil Embargo and the Road to Pearl Harbor Eighty-five years ago, the United States was Japan’s dominant oil supplier. In the years lead...