Japan’s Kishida Visits Qatar for Talks on LNG

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Qatar on Tuesday, concluding his Gulf tour focused on securing energy supplies and promoting advanced Japanese technology.

It is expected that Kishida, urged by Japanese gas interest groups to secure new supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar, will hold talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as well as with Saad Al Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs and CEO of Qatar Petroleum.

Qatar News Agency reported that Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, was present to receive Kishida at the airport.

Japan, which still heavily relies on oil and gas imports, has not renewed many long-term LNG contracts with Qatar after they expired in 2021 and 2022. This has significantly reduced gas imports from one of the world's largest LNG exporters.

Meanwhile, several other Asian buyers have signed long-term contracts to import LNG from Qatar, including two record-breaking 27-year agreements with Chinese gas importers for gas from the massive North Field expansion project in Doha, increasing gas production in the Gulf state by over 60%.

Qatar's state-run energy company expects to sign supply contracts for nearly all new quantities from the North Field in 2023.

Competition for LNG has intensified since the start of the war in Ukraine last year, as Europe, in particular, needs significant quantities to compensate for gas flows from Russia.

Kishida's visit to Qatar follows his arrival in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, with Riyadh stating its commitment to supplying oil to Japan and continuing cooperation on clean hydrogen, ammonia, and carbon recycling.

Kishida also reached an agreement with UAE officials on Monday to accelerate energy security measures and establish a framework for Emirati investment in the Japanese semiconductor and battery technology sector.