In response to the tightening situation in Ukraine, the government has decided to take urgent measures to stably procure important materials such as natural gas and rare metals, which are highly dependent on Russia.
With the tightening of sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there are concerns that the supply of Russian natural gas, oil, and rare metals such as palladium will be disrupted.
For this reason, the government has begun to consider emergency measures to procure these important supplies in a stable manner.
On the 31st, a meeting of the countermeasures headquarters was held at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and seven items such as petroleum, coal, natural gas, rare metal palladium, and rare gas used for semiconductor manufacturing were narrowed down as supplies for which countermeasures are particularly urgent. I did.
On top of that, JOGMEC = Japan Petroleum Natural Gas and Metal Mineral Resources Organization will support the development of oil and gas resources, and allies centered on Japan and the United States will build a digital-related supply network including semiconductors. We are planning to cooperate toward this.
At the end of the meeting, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hagiuda said, "Since the alternative countries for resources are limited, it is expected that there will be competition with other countries, and it is unclear whether stable security can be secured. I want you to do it. "
Regarding important supplies that are indispensable to people's lives, the government will investigate the procurement sources of companies and provide support as needed, and will submit a new bill to the current Diet for economic security. We are trying to strengthen it.