Japan to start releasing state oil reserves Thursday: PM

Japan will start releasing oil from state reserves on Thursday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday, as concerns over supply mount amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The measure, announced during a meeting of relevant Cabinet members to discuss ways to cushion the impact of the tensions in the Middle East on the Japanese economy, comes after Japan started releasing oil from private-sector stockpiles last Monday.