JAKARTA - In the midst of a tourism boom, Japan is facing a shortage of jet fuel, due to the decline in the number of oil refineries in the country, so it cannot provide enough fuel to allow all planes to make round trips.
Japanese Transport Minister Saito Tetsuo at a recent press conference said this problem was caused by various things. The main problem is a significant reduction in the number of Japanese oil refineries, which process imported crude oil into aviation fuel.
Saito also noted labor shortages in the trucking and shipping industries have exacerbated this situation.
The number of refineries in Japan peaked at 49 in 1983. Due to falling oil demand and recent government efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, that number has now fallen to 20.
This reduction means not only is there less fuel available, but the resulting fuel also has to travel longer distances to reach its destination, first by ship to the nearest port, and then by truck.
Narita Airport Authority in Tokyo, Japan's main gateway for international arrivals, said that at the end of June six airlines had postponed plans to add 57 flights to the weekly schedule, according to NHK News reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 17.
Regional airports are also experiencing something similar. Every winter, New Chitose Airport near Sapporo in Hokkaido Prefecture attracts many skiers and snowboarders to hit northern Japan's famous highlands.
However, this year, Qantas Airways and Singapore Airlines have canceled their seasonal flights to the airport, citing an inability to provide enough fuel for the return journey.
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