Japan seeks French backing as Macron begins Asia trip in Iran war’s shadow

Japan is enlisting French support amid a global energy shock and a diplomatic rupture with Beijing 3 -MIN READ3 -MIN Listen Published: 2:36pm, 31 Mar 2026 Emmanuel Macron touches down in Tokyo this week with a packed agenda and a receptive audience in a Japanese government anxious about a choked oil route and looking for support amid its diplomatic falling-out with Beijing. The French president’s three-day visit, which begins Tuesday before he heads to South Korea later in the week, comes as Japan looks to Europe for solidarity amid a crisis in the Strait of Hormuz that has sent oil…