This makes Japan's strategic petroleum reserve the third largest in the world, after only China and the United States. The move signals a genuine energy crisis, not merely a price spike, triggered by a conflict that closed the Strait of Hormuz.
4/5
These are stored across ground tanks, underground caverns, and floating facilities at 10 sites nationwide.
In addition to its own reserves, Japan has joint storage agreements holding another 178 million barrels on its soil from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait.
3/5
This action is driven by two critical events: a 6% crash in the Nikkei stock index and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route.
Japan holds massive oil reserves**, totaling 440 million barrels, which equates to 204 days of import needs.
2/5
Japan points to a major energy crisis.
Japan is expected to act within the next 24 hours by independently considering a release from its strategic petroleum reserve, without coordinating with the US or International Energy Agency.
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The conclusion is that AI gives superpowers, but superpowers without discipline mean never stopping work. The fix is not to stop using AI, but to stop letting AI decide how much work one does.
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The researchers propose "AI Practice," which involves intentional habits. They recommend structured reflection intervals built into workflows, scheduled reviews to assess if AI-enabled expansion crosses sustainable limits, and clear guidelines on when not to use AI.
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Informal norms shift fast. Within months, doing what AI makes possible becomes what is expected. People who set healthy boundaries start looking like underperformers. This creates a toxic dynamic where sustainable work becomes career-limiting.
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By month six of the study, reports of burnout, anxiety, and decision paralysis spike. The dynamic creates short-term momentum but long-term strain.
A competitive dynamic emerges. When a colleague uses AI to take on extra responsibilities, standing still feels like falling behind.
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The tools make doing more feel accessible and rewarding, so people keep going until they cannot.
In the moment, workers describe momentum and expanded capability. But when they step back, they feel busier, more stretched, and unable to disconnect.
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AI speeds up a task, expectations for speed rise, workers rely more on AI, they take on wider scope, workload intensifies, and the cycle repeats. The researchers call this "workload creep." No manager demands harder work.
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Third, cognitive overload results from people running multiple AI agents simultaneously while reviewing code and sitting in meetings.
A cycle traps workers.
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Second, blurred boundaries emerge as workers send prompts during lunch, before meetings, and at 9pm. AI drops the friction of starting any task to near zero, dissolving natural stopping points.
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First, task expansion occurs as product managers start writing code and researchers take on engineering work. Hiring gets postponed because employees absorb work that would justify new headcount.
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A 2024 Upwork study supports these findings. It shows that 77 percent of employees using AI report the tools increase their workload. Nearly half do not know how to achieve the productivity gains their employers expect.
The researchers identify three patterns that destroy work-life balance.
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Employees work at a faster pace, take on a broader scope of tasks, and extend work into more hours of the day. One employee summarizes the experience: "You had thought that maybe you save some time, you can work less. But then really, you don't work less."
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Researchers from Berkeley's Haas School of Business conduct an eight-month study inside a 200-person tech company. They observe what happens when employees receive AI tools without a mandate to use them.
The study finds that AI does not save workers time.
1/12
Studied at the Gal Gadot School For Actors Who Don't Act So Good
Global defense spending jumps 9.4 percent in 2024 to $2.7 trillion. NATO members pledge to increase annual defense budgets further, adding hundreds of billions in future spending.
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Israel Aerospace Industries: $5.2 billion.
Rafael: $4.7 billion.
Defense stock prices surge over the past three years. From March 2023 to March 2026, RTX rises 110 percent, Northrop Grumman 60 percent, General Dynamics 57 percent, Lockheed Martin 37 percent, and Boeing 5 percent.
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Lockheed Martin: $68.4 billion.
RTX: $43.6 billion.
Northrop Grumman: $37.9 billion.
General Dynamics: $33.6 billion.
Boeing: $30.6 billion.
Three Israeli contractors appear in the top 100. Their 2024 defence revenues are:
Elbit Systems: $6.3 billion.
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Huntington Ingalls: USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Gerald R Ford.
The world's top 100 defence companies generate over $679 billion in revenue in 2024. United States firms dominate with $334 billion, nearly half the total.
The top five United States defence contractors by 2024 defence revenue are:
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Northrop Grumman: B-2 stealth bombers, radar for E-3 Sentry.
Lockheed Martin: F-35, F-22, THAAD, HIMARS, ATACMS, PrSM.
RTX Corporation (Raytheon): Tomahawk missiles, Patriot systems.
SpektreWorks: LUCAS drones.
General Atomics: MQ-9 Reaper drones.
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Naval assets include the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carriers and a fleet of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
Major United States contractors and the weapons they supply include:
Boeing: B-1 bomber, F-15s, EA-18G Growlers, P-8A Poseidon, RC-135.
6/11
They use 900kg bombs to hit Iranian missile facilities and bunkers.
Reconnaissance and electronic warfare assets include EA-18G Growler jets, P-8A Poseidon planes, E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft, and RC-135 spy planes.
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The assault also debuts the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS), a cheap, one-way attack drone modelled on Iran's Shahed. The military also deploys MQ-9 Reaper drones.
Strike aircraft include B-1 and B-2 bombers, and F-15, F-22, and F-35 fighter jets.
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Missiles and munitions in use include the Tomahawk missile, fired from destroyers; the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), launched from HIMARS systems; and Patriot and THAAD systems for defence.
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The companies agree to "quadruple production" of advanced weaponry. These firms hold billions of dollars in order backlogs.
The United States uses over 20 distinct weapons systems in Operation Epic Fury across air, sea, land, and missile defence forces.
2/11
The war with Iran proves highly profitable for United States and Israeli defence contractors. Stock prices for major arms-producing companies rise, including Northrop Grumman, RTX, and Lockheed Martin.
President Trump meets with chief executives of major defence companies at the White House.
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