Japan Moves to Steady Naphtha Supply for Medical Care

Tokyo, March 30 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government has moved to secure naphtha supplies to avert disruption to medical care amid Middle East fuel concerns, Prime Minister Sane Takaichi said Monday.

The government has set up a task force and appointed industry minister Ryosei Akazawa as minister in charge of securing stable supplies of critical materials, Takaichi told the House of Representatives Budget Committee.

Naphtha, a petrochemical raw material, is integral to plastic used in medical devices, raising concerns over the effects of possible shortages on daily life.

At the session, Kotaro Tatsumi of the Japanese Communist Party said that as artificial dialyzers rely on such materials, "patients are facing life-threatening risks."

Takaichi responded that "information on the supply chains is being aggregated from medical-related firms via the health ministry and provided to the industry ministry." The government is working on measures including support for companies to share petroleum products.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]