Oil-Saving Measures Enacted as Iran War Hits 1-Month Mark; Fishers, Farmers Reduce Fuel Use

By Isamu Omae and Takumi Oya / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

15:47 JST, March 29, 2026

Saturday marked one month after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. As the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz drags on and energy supplies become unstable, oil-saving measures have begun to emerge across the country.

The Mochimune fishing port in Shizuoka City boasts one of Japan’s largest catches of shirasu whitebaits. Although the fishing season just opened on March 21, only about 30 fishing boats — roughly half the total fleet at the port — set out on Friday.

The local fisheries cooperative has divided its member vessels into two groups, which go out to sea on alternate days. With it having become difficult to obtain the diesel fuel needed to power the boats, the aim is to avoid depleting fuel reserves early in the season, when shirasu catches are relatively low.

Even when the ships go out, the crew members keep fuel consumption on their mind, maintaining a lower-than-normal speed or even canceling the day’s work when the weather is poor and the haul is likely to be on the light side.

“This is the first time I haven’t been able to go out to sea due to a fuel shortage,” a 62-year-old fisherman said with a sigh.

A 68-year-old farmer who grows early-harvest rice in Tonosho, Chiba Prefecture, decided this month to postpone plowing his rice paddies, a process that improves soil fertility in preparation for the rice growing season.

Plowing his about 80 hectares of rice paddies takes over a month with four or five tractors. Although he had always carried out this process without fail before planting rice seedlings, this time the farmer decided to postpone the process.

“I have no choice but to bite the bullet,” he said.

In response to the global fuel shortage and soaring prices, countries around the world are taking steps to curb energy consumption, such as reducing the number of workdays for civil servants and urging people to limit their use of automobiles.

On March 20, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report summarizing oil-saving measures for governments, businesses and households.

Takahide Kiuchi, an executive economist at Nomura Research Institute, Ltd, said, “While Japan still has sufficient oil reserves, if the closure of the Strait of Hormuz drags on, it is possible that measures such as curbing car use and dimming lights will become necessary here as well.”