BEIJING, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) According to Kyodo News, the Japanese government has decided to supply some liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe, and Japanese companies will start supplying it from March.
On December 6, 2021, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivered a policy speech at a special parliamentary session.
Japanese companies will start supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) in March, and the portion for that month will be hundreds of thousands of tons, the report said.
As the situation in Russia and Ukraine continued to be tense, Europe, which is dependent on Russian natural gas, was worried about purchasing. The United States had consulted Japan on whether it could provide it, and Japan said it would cooperate and support Europe.
According to reports, Japan uses LNG for power generation, etc., and currently relies entirely on imports. If the amount required to supply exceeds the expected amount, Japan may face a difficult decision from the perspective of power supply and demand.
In addition, there are concerns that the move may affect Japan-Russia relations, which have territorial issues.
For Japan, Russia is also a major purchaser of natural gas. In the face of bilateral diplomatic negotiations such as territorial issues, attention has been paid to how the pace of reunification with Europe and the United States will affect Japan-Russia relations.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on the 9th that he would cooperate with the supply of LNG to Europe, and explained that "ensuring stable supply to Japan is a major premise" and that the remainder will be distributed to Europe.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry began to ask trading companies and other companies to cooperate.
Companies with excess supply will sell LNG to Europe.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry also asked companies to cooperate after April, but did not disclose the specific amount provided.
The report pointed out that LNG can be used as fuel for thermal power generation and city gas, and Japan imports a huge amount.
According to the Japan Gas Association, LNG imports in 2020 will be 76.36 million tons.
Natural gas thermal power generation accounts for about 40% of the domestic power source composition, and is the main power source, and LNG is one of the indispensable energy sources.
Recently, the situation in Russia and Ukraine has continued to be tense, and the United States plans to impose economic sanctions if Russia attacks Ukraine.
There is a view that as part of the sanctions, the operation of the submarine pipeline "Nord Stream-2", which transports Russian natural gas to Germany, will be postponed, and the United States and Europe will require Japan to provide LNG to avoid energy shortages.