Premier Kishida, more important G7 unit than ever
(ANSA) – TOKYO, 09 MAY – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced his intention to start a process of phasing out oil supplies from Russia, in line with what was discussed in the online summit of the G7 countries.
“The correspondence of the universal and fundamental values of nations has never been more important than now, with the world at a historical crossroads,” Kishida told NHK TV. The Japanese premier admitted that it is a difficult decision. for Japan, devoid of natural resources and largely dependent on imports of raw materials after the Fukushima accident, but what is more important is “the spirit of solidarity between the G7 countries”. According to data from the National Trade Organization (JETO), in 2021 Russia contributed about 3.6% of oil supplies to Japan, and 8.8% of natural gas supplies. However, important companies from the Rising Sun remain linked to the Sakhalin-2 project in Russia on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which Kishida himself in recent weeks has defined as “vital”.
Major Japanese brokerage firms, including Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp, own 12.5% and 10% respectively in the prospectus, the same from which UK Shell announced its departure in March, and controlled at 50%. % from the Russian state company Gazprom. Before the nuclear accident in Fukushima, in March 2011 – which caused the shutdown of four fifths of the atomic plants in the archipelago, in Japan there were 54 reactors capable of generating about 30% of the country’s energy needs.
Sakhalin-2 saw the start of operations in Russia in 2009, with a capacity of around 10 million tons of LNG exported and distributed mainly between Japan, China and South Korea. (ANSA).