Cooperation with Russia to benefit Japan amid Hormuz closure — lawmaker

TOKYO, June 14. /TASS/. Cooperation with Russia in the energy sector would be beneficial for Japan severely affected by disruptions in resource supplies due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Shoji Nishida, a lawmaker from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said in an interview with TASS.

"The recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused significant damage to Japan, which [in late years] has been sourcing 90% of its oil from the Middle East. Given this, and the fact that our neighbor Russia possesses abundant resources, while Japan has the technology and financial resources to develop them together, joint development and resource sharing would be mutually beneficial [for Moscow and Tokyo]," he said.

When asked about the possibility of lifting the price cap on Russian oil, Nishida expressed the view that Washington is standing in the way of this. "The US is trying to gain control over oil--global control. That's why I think there's a lot of pressure [from the U.S.]," the lawmaker added.