The head of the Japanese transport company Mitsui OSK Lines, Takeshi Hashimoto, stressed that “there is no alternative to Russian gas”, stressing that “his country cannot refuse to import Russian liquefied gas.”
The British Financial Times quotes Hashimoto as saying: “Japan cannot stop importing Russian LNG due to a sharp rise in energy prices and limited opportunities in the field of nuclear energy.”
He added: “The gas that Japan buys from Russia at a relatively cheap price under long-term contracts is needed by the country to meet basic electricity needs.”
He pointed out that “the current spot market prices for both LNG and coal are very high, and this is one of the reasons for Japan’s reluctance to refuse Russian LNG supplies.”
For his part, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev previously confirmed that “Japan in the future can count on life without gas and oil from Russia”, calling Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s statements about possible restrictions on oil purchase prices “alarming.”
“In this case, the cost of oil will rise above the expected astronomical price of $300-400,” he said.
Source: Lenta.ru +Financial Times“