In a recent conversation with the Japanese president, Donald Trump shared his interest in exploring how Tokyo can help realize a decades-old proposal to unlock gas in Alaska and ship it to the U.S. allies in Asia.
Trump and his energy tsar Doug Burgum present this initiative as an ideal way for Japan to replace the Middle East energy shipments and tackle its trade imbalance with the US.
Shigeru Ishiba, the Japanese premier, shows his eagerness to ensure a positive meeting and stave off damaging the U. S. tariffs.
Sharing his views, Ishiba said he hoped Japan could take part in the $144 billion project and granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.
After lunch, US President Donald Trump repeatedly mentioned the project in his public remarks. However, Ishiba avoided making any public remarks, and there was no reference to it in the official readout of the talks.
While the Alaska LNG proposal seems expensive and includes numerous logistical hurdles, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and other nations seem interested in increasing U.S. gas imports rapidly. It will boost the US economy and, meanwhile, blunt the influence of China and Russia in the international markets.
Japan’s involvement in Trump’s energy plan will be crucial. It is in the second position in buying LNG, a significant investor in the energy infrastructure and a trade hub that can open new doors for US gas in Southeast Asia.
In a joint statement with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Japanese, and South Korean foreign ministers agreed to power energy security by harnessing the affordable and reliable energy of the US.
Although Japan’s foreign ministry has not given any comment on the Ishiba-Trump meeting. Next month, the trade minister of Japan is expected to visit Washington for exemptions from Trump’s tariffs and discuss the nation’s plans to purchase more US LNG.
