Japan seeks Southeast Asia sea lanes to avoid troubled waters in region

A proposal to map charts through five straits comes as Japan fears trade disruption from choke points in the South China Sea and off Malacca The project is designed to give commercial shipping more confidence in alternative passages – with the latest data on depths, hazards and navigational aids – if ships need to avoid the heavily used route through the Strait of Malacca after they sail beyond the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waters off several Malaysian states are increasingly at risk from geopolitical tensions, raising concerns in Tokyo about the resilience of current maritime routes that carry much of Japan’s trade, ranging from energy to electronic goods. As much as 90 per cent of all Japanese crude oil imports come from Gulf states, typically shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. The region is also a key source of natural gas and fertilisers. Since the initial US attacks on Iran in March, Japan has moved quickly to seek alternative energy sources, and new supply chains linking to the US, Latin America, Central Asia and Africa have been established.

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