The Japanese government approved 513.5 billion yen (approximately US$3 billion) on Tuesday to subsidise household electricity and gas bills from July through September, as rising fuel import costs tied to the Middle East conflict push up utility prices. Japan, which depends heavily on imported fuel from the Middle East, is responding to supply and price pressures stemming from instability around the Strait of Hormuz (a critical shipping chokepoint through which a large share of global oil passes). The move follows Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's announcement of a broader US$19 billion supplementary budget aimed at addressing wider cost-of-living pressures, with officials pledging to prevent disruption to daily life and economic activity.