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Japan Tells Trump It Cannot Fully Ban Russian LNG Due to Energy Security Concerns

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Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk
Cyril Barabaltchouk
News Writer
Japan Tells Trump It Cannot Fully Ban Russian LNG Due to Energy Security Concerns
US President Donald Trump, left, and Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s prime minister, pose for photographs following a signing ceremony at the Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo, Japan. (Source: Getty Images)

Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told US President Donald Trump that banning imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) would be “difficult,” citing Japan’s energy security needs, Reuters reported on October 29, citing two Japanese government officials.

The issue arose during their bilateral meeting in Tokyo on October 28, where Takaichi—Japan’s first female prime minister, elected last week—asked Trump for understanding of Japan’s dependence on Russian gas.

Russian LNG currently makes up about 9% of Japan’s total imports, with trading giants Mitsui and Mitsubishi holding stakes in Russia’s Sakhalin-2 project in the Far East, Reuters writes.

The US under previous Biden administration has urged allies, including Japan, to halt purchases of Russian energy and join new sanctions targeting Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s two largest oil producers.

However, Tokyo warned that an immediate ban would be destabilizing. According to the Nikkei, Takaichi told Trump that ending LNG imports “would only make China and Russia happy.”

Japan has gradually increased LNG imports from the US in recent years while preparing for the expiration of its long-term Sakhalin-2 contracts, most of which run out between 2028 and 2033.

Replacing that gas, Japan’s industry ministry warned, would be expensive and could drive up electricity prices.

Currently, Japan imports less than 1% of its oil from Russia under a sanctions waiver set to expire in December, while the vast majority of its crude supply comes from the Middle East, according to Reuters.

Previosly, it was reported the United States is expecting Japan to fully halt energy imports from Russia, according to a statement by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent following a meeting with Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato in Washington.

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