Japan Market Daily | Kabutaro & Friends

On May 3, 2026, while major financial markets were closed for Sunday, significant economic measures addressed escalating Middle East tensions. Following the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the Japanese government commenced its second emergency oil release from the Shibushi National Petroleum Reserve Base to secure energy supplies. This follows a volatile week where the Nikkei 225 hit a historic 60,000 mark while the yen plummeted to the 160 range against the dollar, triggering record-scale currency interventions. Globally, the economy is caught between the "super cycle" of AI-driven semiconductor demand and the shadow of persistent inflation fueled by high energy costs. Organizations like the IMF warn that if supply chain disruptions persist, global growth for 2026 may be limited to 3.1 percent, prompting nations to accelerate their resource security strategies.