According to informed sources, snack manufacturer Calbee plans to change the package design of some of its products to black and white.

The sources say the move comes as the procurement of ink and other materials used for packaging has become unstable due to ongoing unrest in the Middle East.

Affected products include the company's mainstay potato chips which normally come in packages featuring colors such as orange and yellow.

Calbee has informed retailers that the change will apply to shipments starting on May 25.

Other major snack makers have also indicated that they may need to consider reducing ink usage and making design changes on packages to ensure a stable supply of products going forward.

Meanwhile, a tanker carrying about 45,000 kiloliters of crude oil from Azerbaijan arrived at a refinery in Yokohama on May 12.

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the amount is equivalent to roughly 10 percent of Japan's daily domestic consumption.

The shipment was procured by major oil distributor ENEOS.
 
Since the Middle East situation began to deteriorate in late March, Japan has been working to secure routes that do not pass through the Strait of Hormuz and alternative crude oil supplies from the United States and other regions.

This is the first time during this period that crude oil from Azerbaijan has been delivered to Japan.

The government says it has secured enough petroleum through the turn of the year, but the industry ministry reports that it has received more than 2,300 inquiries from businesses regarding supply bottlenecks and related issues.

Of those, about 1,500 cases concern requests for measures to address difficulties in obtaining products such as paint thinner and lubricating oil.