Japan to release 50 million medical gloves to ease supply crunch

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TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on April 16 that Japan will give out 50 million medical gloves to facilities facing shortages as the country grapples with the fallout of the war in the Middle East.

The emergency supply will come from Japan’s stockpile of some 500 million medical gloves, according to local media.

“Starting in May, the government will release 50 million medical gloves from our pandemic stockpile to medical institutions facing shortages,” Ms Takaichi said in a special meeting on the situation in the Middle East.

The announcement comes as Japan, like the rest of the world, has faced severe shortages of oil-related products such as naphtha since the US-Israel war on Iran began on Feb 28. Naphtha can be used to make plastics, chemical fibres, rubber and paints.

Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies transited before the war, has sent Tokyo officials scrambling to find ways to minimise the damage to the national economy.

Resource-poor Japan relies heavily on oil from the Middle East, and Tokyo has tapped into its oil reserves to ease the stress on its economy.

In recent weeks, Japanese physicians have reported a lack of supplies including gloves and have expressed fears that the energy crisis may soon affect the quality of patient care.

Ms Takaichi on April 15 pledged US$10 billion (S$12.7 billion) in financial support for South-east Asian economies as the crisis threatens Tokyo’s procurement of vital medical equipment derived from oil.

Under the initiative, Japan will financially help South-east Asian nations to strengthen their energy supply chain and procure crude and petroleum products.

Ms Takaichi noted Japan relies on various supplies from Asia, including medical gloves used during surgical operations. AFP