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Japan Mulling Expanding U.S. LNG Imports for Tariff Talks

Japan Mulling Expanding U.S. LNG Imports for Tariff Talks

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump meet at the White House in Washington on Feb. 7.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump meet at the White House in Washington on Feb. 7.

   Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government has begun full-scale discussions on expanding imports of liquefied natural gas from the United States, believing that the move will serve as a powerful bargaining chip in bilateral tariff negotiations.
   In the Japan-U.S. negotiations on Tokyo's request for a review of the tariff policy of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the focus is on what concrete measures Japan will take to reduce its trade surplus as demanded by Washington.
   In 2024, Japan imported 542.6 billion yen of LNG from the United States. By country, the United States, with a share of 8.7 pct, was the fourth-biggest LNG exporter to Japan after Australia, Malaysia and Russia.
   While Japan's LNG imports from Russia totaled 548.1 billion yen last year, diversifying suppliers is a challenge for the Asian nation from the viewpoint of energy security as the risk of supply disruption has become evident due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
   At a meeting between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in February, the two governments agreed to increase Japan's imports of U.S. LNG. Ishiba suggested on television Sunday that it could be possible to increase LNG imports from the United States.

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AFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL


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