Japan tries again for greater flexibility on LNG
Tokyo renews efforts to push reform in long-term contracts
Japan's economy ministry has once again gone public on its desire to introduce greater flexibility into the country's long-term LNG import contracts. And it is pushing improved global supply security as a motivating factor "LNG trading rules and practices that lead to more flexibility and the convergence of the global gas market are seen as the best condition for durable competitively priced LNG supplies and for improving the resilience of the international market and its capacity to respond to emergencies," Ryo Minami, director general for natural resources at Japan's Ministry of economy, trade and industry (Meti) told a Japanese government conference in October. Japan's fair trade commissi
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
