Nissho Maru Incident

As a result, the price of domestic oil products in Japan fell by tens of billions of yen a year, yielding great benefit to consumers.

The British Anglo-Iranian Oil company (AIOC) filed a lawsuit requesting a provisional injunction for the seizure of oil products carried by the Nissho Maru, but the Tokyo District Court and the Tokyo High Court refused to grant one, and the British were unsuccessful following years of litigation.

[3]: 110 In July 1952, the Royal Navy intercepted the Italian tanker Rose Mary and forced it into the British protectorate of Aden on the grounds that the ship's petroleum was stolen property.

Built in the Harima Shipyard, it was very large by the standards of the time, and its construction was very expensive, requiring Sazo Idemitsu, to take on debt.

However, agreement was reached after persistent negotiations, discussions about complying with domestic and international laws, and measures to avoid putting diplomatic embarrassment to the Japanese government.

In Japan, the incident front-page news, reported as an unarmed private company picking a fight with the Royal Navy, which boasted the second largest naval force in the world at the time.

She sailed through shoals and mines, outwitted the Royal Navy, and broke through the naval blockade, arriving at Kawasaki Port at 9am on May 9.

[16] However, due to the acquiescence of the United States, which was not happy about Britain's oil monopoly, and the backing of public opinion that expressed its approval, no administrative sanctions were taken.