FOIP at 10: Why the Gulf Is Now Indo-Pacific Core
Japan’s FOIP is stretching west because Hormuz, LNG, and shipping shocks now hit Asian security as directly as any East Asian flashpoint.
The power shift in FOIP at 10 is simple: Middle Eastern chokepoints now give Gulf instability direct leverage over Asian economies, so the Indo-Pacific strategy Japan launched a decade ago is no longer just about East Asia’s sea lanes. The Al Jazeera anniversary essay makes that case explicitly, arguing that FOIP now has to bridge the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East rather than treat them as separate theaters. 
FOIP at 10: Bridging the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East | Al Jazeera
Why FOIP is moving west
Events in 2026 have turned that argument into operating reality. The IEA warned in March that the world was facing its largest-ever oil supply disruption because of Middle East war and blocked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. 
World faces largest-ever oil supply disruption on Middle East war, IEA says | Reuters Reuters also reported that roughly 20% of global oil and LNG moves through Hormuz, making any disruption there an immediate shock for Asian importers. Iran conflict disrupts oil supply to Asian countries dependent on Middle East | Reuters
That is why this is no longer just a 
Global Politics story about maritime principles. It is a hard security story about fuel, freight, and economic coercion. Reuters reported in April that Asia depends on the Middle East for 60% of its oil and 80% of its gas, and that about 1.3 million tonnes of LNG were stranded on blocked tankers in the Gulf during the crisis. Iran war ceasefire pushes energy markets into twilight zone | Reuters
Who gains leverage, and who loses
Singapore and Australia are clear beneficiaries of this wider FOIP map because their role as logistics and supply nodes has become more valuable. On April 10, Prime Ministers Lawrence Wong and Anthony Albanese pledged closer energy cooperation; Reuters reported that Australia supplies about one-third of Singapore’s LNG and 26% of its refined fuel. Australia, Singapore leaders pledge closer energy ties to tackle global supply shock | Reuters
The losers are the big Asian importers most exposed to Gulf shipping risk. Reuters reported that Japan gets about 95% of its oil imports from the Middle East, while China, India, Taiwan, and South Korea are among the buyers most exposed to Hormuz-linked LNG disruption. Trump warns Iran on Hormuz tolls as frozen traffic spurs Japan to release more oil | Reuters Asia, Europe most exposed to LNG impact from Iran conflict, Vortexa says | Reuters
That exposure is already changing policy. Tokyo said it would release an additional 20 days of oil reserves from May, on top of the 50 days already being released since mid-March, while trying to shift more than half its imports onto routes that bypass Hormuz. Japan plans to release extra 20 days' oil reserves from May | Reuters
What to watch next
Watch May. If Japan extends reserve releases and other FOIP states move from naval language to fuel-security agreements, the strategy’s western expansion will be institutional, not rhetorical. If shipping through Hormuz remains unstable, FOIP will increasingly look less like a regional doctrine and more like a corridor strategy linking East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Gulf across one integrated International security map.
