Japan government considering intervention in oil futures, market sources say

Japan's government is considering intervention in crude oil futures as the Middle East crisis drives energy prices sharply higher, market sources said on Monday.

Government inquiries were made regarding specific methods for intervening in the crude oil futures market, one source said.

Previously, the heads of a number of top exchanges have said they opposed any potential ​intervention from the U.S. government in the oil futures market, amid ‌rising energy prices in the aftermath of the Iran conflict.

Japan's Ministry of Finance did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the reported operations in oil markets.

-Reporting by Atsuko Aoyama, Takaya Yamaguchi; Editing by Toby Chopra/Reuters