LNG: Japan’s new export

A briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics detailing Japan's role as a major trader of US liquified natural gas (LNG) to other countries, particularly in Asia, and the associated lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.

• Japan has emerged as a significant global LNG trader, selling more US LNG to third parties than it imports for its own domestic use starting in 2021. Between 2021 and 2025, the volume of US LNG Japan sold to other countries was 77% higher than its domestic imports.
• The US became the world's largest LNG exporter in 2023. Growth was further supported in 2025 when the Trump administration removed regulations on oil and gas, including a pause on new LNG export approvals and restrictions on production in Alaska, which promoted the USD 44 billion Alaska LNG project.
• Japan is actively facilitating LNG demand in Asia through trade and financial support. This includes the POWERR Asia initiative launched by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on April 15 to diversify regional energy away from crude oil, and USD 13.5 billion in financing from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for downstream coal and gas projects in Southeast Asia between 2016 and 2024.
• Between 2020 and 2025, 16.5 billion kg of US LNG resold by Japan to Asian countries released 63.5 billion kg of CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of approximately 17 coal plants.
• The lifecycle emissions of US LNG shipped to Asia are distributed across four stages: combustion (78.5%), production and liquefaction (16%), shipping (4.8%), and regasification and distribution (0.5%). Methane leaks during production, processing, and combustion account for approximately 30% of total supply chain emissions.
• Thailand has become a leading LNG importer in Southeast Asia due to falling domestic gas reserves, with imports increasing by over 100% between 2020 and 2024. In April 2025, Thailand agreed to import 15 million metric tons of US LNG over a 15-year period.

APA

Chin, Y. (2026). LNG: Japan’s new export. Zero Carbon Analytics. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/lng-lifecycle-emissions/

Chicago

Chin, Yusun. LNG: Japan’s new export. Zero Carbon Analytics, 2026. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/lng-lifecycle-emissions/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chin |first1=Yusun |title=LNG: Japan’s new export |publisher=Zero Carbon Analytics |date=15 June 2026 |url=https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/lng-lifecycle-emissions/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chin2026lng, author = {Chin, Yusun}, title = {{LNG: Japan’s new export}}, institution = {Zero Carbon Analytics}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/lng-lifecycle-emissions/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }