Shipping Disrupted In Strait Of Hormuz, Japan Faces Plastic Shortage, Pallet And Glove Supply Tightens, Some Stores Implement Purchase Limits

Due to the war in Iran, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted, and Japan, which is highly dependent on energy imports, is facing a serious challenge as supplies of naphtha, a key petroleum derivative, run short.

Naphtha is a byproduct of crude oil refining and is widely used in materials such as plastics and as a solvent for printing inks. The Middle East is Japan’s primary source of crude oil and naphtha, and once supply from this region is disrupted, downstream industries will be quickly affected.

On May 14, 2026, local time in Narita City, Japan, a worker stacks freshly produced bagged expanded polystyrene (EPS) products inside a factory of Ihara Construction Industries. Photo by Visual China.

According to data released by the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association, in March this year, the production of high-density polyethylene, which is used to make shopping bags and garbage bags, fell by 62% year on year, and the production of other plastic products also declined sharply.

About one-third of Japan’s total plastic consumption comes from the food industry, with annual usage exceeding 8 million tons. Amid pressure from shortages of key plastic raw materials, grocery stores, supermarkets, and bakeries in Japan are facing tight supplies of plastic bags, food trays, and disposable service gloves.

Rising prices and shortages of supplies have had a significant impact on the entire industry, and many shops have begun introducing discounts for customers who bring their own tableware to help ease the pressure. For example, the Japanese bento shop Hinode has started offering free side dishes and extra toppings to customers who bring their own containers.

At a bakery in southern Tokyo, a notice posted on the wall read: Due to the oil shortage caused by the war in the Middle East, the shop can no longer provide plastic bags to wrap baguettes and keep them fresh. The bakery owner said, “In mid-May, we received our last batch of supplies, and even the supplier doesn’t know when the next shipment will arrive.”

In addition, the garbage disposal system was also affected. Across Japan, residents were originally required to sort their trash using designated-color plastic bags, but due to panic buying, stores had to impose purchase limits, allowing each customer to buy no more than two plastic bags. As a result, some local governments temporarily relaxed the rules and allowed residents to use non-designated plastic bags to dispose of their garbage.

The Takaichi Sanae government is under growing pressure. Although the government has assured the public that the current problem is a supply “bottleneck” rather than a full-scale shortage, industry insiders widely predict that the situation may worsen further in June. Recent polls show that the plastic shortage has become one of the most pressing issues most concerning to the public.

Chen Pingguo, a professor of industrial engineering and management at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan, pointed out: “The stability of plastics as a basic industrial material has been shaken.” Given society’s heavy reliance on plastics, this shock will “quickly ripple through the entire supply chain.”

This crisis is not unique to Japan; countries across East Asia rely heavily on imports of oil and naphtha from the Middle East. Data from the Seoul metropolitan area in South Korea show that in March, daily sales of plastic garbage bags surged nearly fivefold, prompting purchase limits. Jung Cheol-woo, a representative of the Korea Medical Devices Association, said hospitals stockpiled in advance in response to rising prices, which in turn exacerbated supply shortages.

Zheng Zheyu pointed out: “In many Asian economies, plastic makes up for shortcomings in cold-chain infrastructure. But when packaging becomes scarce or expensive, food spoilage rates rise and logistics costs increase, ultimately being passed on to consumers.”