Difficult to Pull Out of Sakhalin-2 Project, Takaichi Tells Trump

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told U.S. President Donald Trump at their meeting Tuesday that it is difficult for her country to withdraw from the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project in Russia’s Far East region, Japanese government source said Wednesday. The United States has urged Japan to stop imports of liquefied natural gas and other energy from Russia as a sanction against Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. At the Tokyo meeting, Takaichi told Trump that if Japan pulls out of the Sakhalin-2 project, that could only please China, which may move to obtain a stake in the offshore natural resources development project, as well as Russia, according to the sources. The Sakhalin-2 project, joined by Japanese companies, accounts for about 9 pct of Japan’s LNG imports. The Japanese government has been cautious about ending the country’s participation in the project from the perspective of ensuring stable energy supply. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]