Naphtha Shortage Ripples Through Japan's Supply Chain, From Chips to Syringes

A naphtha shortage triggered by the Iran war is rippling across Japanese manufacturing, hitting industries far removed from petrochemicals. Calbee has shifted 14 of its top snack products to monochrome packaging starting May 25 because it cannot reliably source the inks and solvents needed for color printing. Mizkan has suspended four nattō products over packaging concerns, and Nisshin Seifun Welna has dropped printed cooking instructions from its spaghetti tape.

Teikoku Databank counts 52 Japanese firms that process naphtha into feedstocks like ethylene, synthetic rubber, and PVC, feeding roughly 46,741 downstream manufacturers — about 30% of the country’s manufacturing base. The exposure is concentrated in chemicals (67.2% of the sector tied into naphtha), with cyclic intermediates, adhesives, and surfactants all above 80% dependency. Coated paper producers, food companies, and beverage makers are exposed indirectly through packaging.

Medical supplies including syringes and rubber gloves are also tightening, alongside residential insulation and food-grade film. Tokyo says national supply is adequate, but the corporate response suggests otherwise, and a prolonged Middle East conflict would widen the disruption further into daily consumer goods.