ホルムズ海峡事実上封鎖
（BBC 2026/4/3 記事抜粋）
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz after the US and Israel began their war with Iran in late February has sent shockwaves across the globe. Oil prices have soared and stock markets have wobbled as the world waits to see when Iran will allow the key waterway - through which about 20% of all oil passes - to reopen.
At the moment, only a handful of ships make it through the strait each day. Meanwhile, the attacks on energy infrastructure in the region have only served to push prices higher. Arguably, nowhere has felt it more than Asia: nearly 90% of the oil and gas passing through the strait is bound for Asian countries. And already, the strain is being felt.
Japan: Fears about a shortage of naphtha are also simmering in Japan, especially in hospitals. Patients and doctors have raised concerns about the depletion of critical medical supplies made with naphtha like syringes, gloves and dialysis equipment.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has urged calm, saying there would be no immediate disruptions and the Japanese government has set up a task force to ensure the supply of these products. But fears remain that such shortages could further stress the country's healthcare system, which is already under strain from a rapidly ageing population.
Surging crude oil prices are also worrying fishermen and farmers, who rely heavily on fuel to power equipment like boats and tractors. "Fuel prices keep going up and up. At this rate, we won't be able to go out to sea," the captain of a trawler in Yamagata prefecture told the Mainichi newspaper. "It's gotten to the point where we can't keep fishing anymore."
イランとの戦争が始まり、原油価格の高騰が世界経済に与える影響への懸念が高まっています。終戦時期が見通せない中、中東から日本へ石油や天然ガスを輸送する重要な航路であるStrait of Hormuz（ホルムズ海峡）の封鎖により、原油価格の上昇に加え、さらなるインフレの進行や景気への悪影響が懸念されています。その結果、一時円安が加速、長期金利は上昇し、株式市場も上値の重い展開が続いています。
石油は単なるエネルギー資源にとどまらず、医療機器をはじめ、化学製品や肥料など幅広い分野で原料として使用されています。そのため、エネルギー価格のみならず、さまざまな製品価格の上昇にも注意が必要な状況です。
現在、メディアや金融市場ではイラン情勢について多角的な議論がなされていますが、そこには長期金利や株式市場・為替市場の動向、世界のサプライチェーン、日本企業の対応、安定したエネルギー源の確保など、視野を広げるための重要な論点が数多く含まれています。 当校では、このような時事問題を英語の読解教材として活用するだけでなく、記事の背景にある経済や国際情勢についても丁寧に解説しています。生徒が世界で起きている出来事を正しく理解し、ニュースに触れた際に応用できる教養を身につけること—それが当校ならではの指導です。
