REUTERS
April 8, 2022 at 12:45 JST
Industry minister Koichi Hagiuda speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on April 8. (The Asahi Shimbun)
The world's third-largest coal importer Japan plans to reduce Russian coal imports gradually while looking for alternative suppliers in the wake of sanctions against Moscow, the industry minister said on Friday.
The move also highlights a potential shift in Japan's energy procurement policy.
The minister, Koichi Hagiuda, told reporters that Japan will aim over time to end coal imports from Russia, the country's second-biggest supplier of thermal coal in 2021. He said finding immediate alternative suppliers would be difficult.
Russia accounted for 11% of Japan's total coal imports in 2021, according to the government data. Russia was Japan's fifth-biggest supplier of crude and liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2021.
Japan imports nearly all of the coal it consumes, making it the third-largest importer after India and China, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration data.
"We would need to find alternative suppliers or we would face difficulties securing domestic coal which could lead to power outage and such. We need to avoid such situation," said Hagiuda.
"We will corporate with Russian sanctions without inflicting burden on domestic industry".
Japan will coordinate its moves with the United States and European countries, after the Group of Seven (G-7) allies issued a statement pledging additional sanctions on Russia in response to its alleged mass killings of civilians in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday that Japan will unveil further sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine as early as Friday after coordinating with G7 allies on further punitive steps.
Following Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a 'special operation", Japan has stepped up sanctions ranging from removing Moscow from international payment network SWIFT, to freezing central bank assets.
It also froze assets of Russian officials, oligarchs, banks and other institutions, keeping in step with G7 economies, and banned high-tech exports to Russia.
Japan imposes sanctions on Russia over actions in Ukraine
February 23, 2022
Australia to send armored vehicles to Ukraine after request
April 1, 2022
Japanese firms fear sanctions on Russia will cause higher fuel prices
February 23, 2022
Japan to call on Middle East oil producers to raise output
March 13, 2022
World leaders fine-tune punitive measures against Russia
February 25, 2022
China is Russia’s best hope to blunt sanctions, but wary
February 28, 2022
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
