A government energy panel called on Wednesday for the strengthening of a national reserve plan that ensures the availability of oil and rare metals amid increased global competition.
Resource-poor Japan faces an increasing risk of supply disruptions as it buys 90 percent of its oil from the Middle East, where geopolitical tensions are rising. It is also competing with other countries to secure liquefied natural gas (LNG) and critical metals used in batteries and other high-tech products as demand for these resources is rapidly growing.
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