Japan to Ask US to Boost Shale Gas Exports

Japanese Prime Minster is expected to as US President Barack Obama to boost US shale gas exports to Japan, Kyodo News reports.

The issue is likely to come up during Obama’s upcoming trip to Japan later this week.

Japan views the new and abundant source of natural gas as key to cutting fuel procurement costs and is aiming to ensure stable supplies from the United States, a source told Kyodo.

Experts believe substantial imports of low-priced shale gas would lower Japan's trade deficit and put it in a better position in price negotiations for gas imports from the Middle East, says Kyodo.

Japan is world’s largest importer of LNG. The country imported record LNG in 2013 as demand for the fuel saw strong rise due to shut down of its nuclear stations since the Fukushima disaster in 2011.

The country imported 87.49 million tonnes of LNG last year, up 0.2 percent, Ministry of Finance data released showed.