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May 01, 2026
 

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Stephen Stapczynski
JERA, Japan¡¯s largest utility, will purchase around 3 million tons of liquefied natural gas per year from QatarEnergy beginning in 2028, according to an announcement in Doha on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2026
Qatar strikes 27-year deal with Jera to supply LNG
Jera will purchase about 3 million tons of LNG per year from QatarEnergy starting in 2028.
The Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power station in Niigata Prefecture
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2025
Niigata governor¡¯s visit to nuclear reactor raises restart hopes
Hideyo Hanazumi is scheduled to visit Tokyo Electric Power Co.¡¯s Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant and an associated training facility on Friday.
Warren Buffett first revealed stakes in Japan¡¯s top five trading houses, also known as "sš­gš­ shš­sha," in 2020.
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2025
Buffett raises Mitsui stake in bet on Japan¡¯s trading houses
The U.S. investor increased its holdings in Mitsui to more than 10% on a voting-rights basis, and may consider expanding its stake even further.
Orix shares gained as much as 3.6% in Tokyo on Monday, their biggest intraday gain since April 10.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2025
Orix to sell $1.3 billion stake in Greenko to founders
Tokyo-based Orix agreed to transfer a 17.5% holding in Greenko, out of its total ownership of 20%, to AM Green Power.
Workers build a scaffolding platform during construction at the Yamal LNG plant, operated by Novatek, in Sabetta, Russia, in August 2018.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2025
Russia tries again to expand LNG exports upended by sanctions
Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian gas pipeline exports to Europe have dwindled, and shipping more fuel via seaborne LNG tankers provides an attractive revenue stream.
Tokyo Gas is in talks with at least four U.S. liquefied natural gas suppliers to secure a purchase deal, according to sources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2025
Tokyo gas in talks to seal long-term U.S. LNG purchase deals
Japan¡¯s largest gas distributor is in talks with at least four companies over supply from projects dotting the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to sources.
Japan sees liquefied natural gas as vital to energy security.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 20, 2025
Japan seeks gas past 2050, with AI and data centers set to lift demand
The government expects a boom in artificial intelligence, data centers and semiconductor chip-making factories to revive power demand.
Masayuki Omoto, Marubeni president and CEO, in Tokyo on Tuesday. Omoto has affirmed the Japanese trading house¡¯s commitment to a long-term partnership with Berkshire Hathaway, echoing sentiments recently expressed by the U.S. investment firm.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2025
Marubeni aligned with Berkshire Hathaway on long-term value, says top exec
Berkshire has steadily increased its stakes in Japan¡¯s five largest trading houses, with Chairperson Warren Buffett signaling in February that he plans to boost holdings further.
The Tomari nuclear power plant in Tomari, Hokkaido, in March 2024
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2025
Japan approves restart of nuclear reactor for first time in four years
The Nuclear Regulation Authority approved a preliminary report saying Hokkaido Electric Power¡¯s Tomari No. 3 reactor meets post-Fukushima safety rules.
Xiaobaodang Coal Mine, in Shaanxi province, China, in 2023. China, which mines and burns half the world¡¯s coal, is facing swelling inventories of the fuel.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 3, 2025
Coal¡¯s four-year lows hide a coming global supply squeeze
Demand for the fuel continues to rise in India and China, outpacing breakneck rates of expansion in solar and wind.
Warren Buffett's plans to increase holdings in Japanese trading houses are seen as a stamp of approval for the undervalued sector.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 25, 2025
Buffett¡¯s fervor for Japan trading firms sparks share rally
Buffett praised Japan¡¯s trading firms for increasing dividends when appropriate and for being less aggressive in their executive pay than U.S. counterparts.
Government officials and energy executives from countries such as India, Kuwait and Japan have been holding talks about procuring more U.S. gas, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 1, 2025
From India to Japan, specter of Trump tariffs spurs interest in U.S. gas
Trump¡¯s tactics, however, are pushing away some other buyers, like those in China, the world¡¯s top importer.
A worker inspects the outdoor gas pipes at the underground gas storage facility operated by Gas Storage in Haje, Czech Republic, on Jan. 3.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jan 13, 2025
Europe threatens to trigger a global scramble for natural gas
For the first time since the energy crisis was turbocharged by Russia¡¯s war in Ukraine, Europe risks failing to meet its storage targets for next winter.
A Nippon Steel blast furnace building in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Dec. 6
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 14, 2024
Nippon Steel¡¯s plan B now in focus as $14 billion U.S. deal falters
The bid for the once-fabled American company ran into a maelstrom of political opposition in the U.S. in the run-up to the presidential election.
Bulk carriers float offshore from Singapore, on Feb. 19.
WORLD
Sep 19, 2024
The shadow fleet transporting sanctioned gas for Russia
In the short term it could provide some wartime profit, but Moscow's ultimate goal is to triple LNG exports by 2030.
The No. 1 reactor building stands at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co.'s Shin-Kori nuclear power plant in Ulsan, South Korea.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2024
South Korea edges ahead of rivals to build Europe¡¯s nuclear reactors
A pair of projects in the Czech Republic could set up South Korea to build reactors for Western countries that are reconsidering nuclear energy.
Data has shown that Western pension funds may inadvertently be helping Russian President Vladimir Putin as Moscow looks to ramp up liquefied natural gas exports to replenish Kremlin coffers and fund its war in Ukraine.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 21, 2024
How U.S. pension funds help Putin¡¯s gas gambit
The case spotlights the opacity of the global finance and how hard it remains to sever Moscow from a key revenue source even two years after the Ukraine invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks through a helicopter window during his flight to the Novatek-Murmansk's Offshore Superfacility Construction Center in the village of Belokamenka, in Russia's Murmansk region, last July.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
May 5, 2024
How Western sanctions are strangling Putin¡¯s Arctic gas ambitions
The Novatek PJSC-led Arctic LNG 2 facility is a key part of Moscow¡¯s plans to boost exports and replenish coffers. But it has remained virtually idled.
The Malaysian state of Sarawak is blessed with the rivers and heavy rainfall needed to create hydropower that can generate clean electricity needed for emissions-free hydrogen.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 20, 2024
Clean hydrogen¡¯s best bet may be a rainforest state in Borneo
The state is hoping an abundance of hydropower can help it defy challenges that are clouding the fuel¡¯s prospects elsewhere.
A Tokyo Gas Co. storage tank at the company's Setagaya facility in Tokyo
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 12, 2024
World trying to quit fossil fuels gets flood of gas instead
Formerly a sluggish sector, global events spurred LNG's expansion
New Zealand officials reject statue remembering 91²Ö¿â comfort women
A statue symbolizing former South Korean comfort women in Seoul
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ¡®kill web¡¯ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
Japan considers making language programs a factor in residency screenings
The government is considering creating a Japanese language program for foreign people that would be a factor in residency screenings.
'RikuRyu' signs off in emotional farewell
Figure skating pair Riku Miura (left) and Ryuichi Kihara pose for photos at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday. The pair have announced their retirement from competitive skating.
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ¡®kill web¡¯ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
The Japanese dietitian who keeps the Blue Jays¡¯ engines running
Sports dietitian Yuka Sanui works behind the scenes to ensure Blue Jays players get the most out of their bodies when they step on the field.
The American chef reconnecting with Japan through a Kyoto restaurant
SoNoMa chef partner Kyle Connaughton (right) and chef de cuisine Keita Tominaga both have ties to Sonoma County in Northern California, the restaurant¡¯s namesake. Connaughton rose to prominence there with SingleThread, while Tominaga¡¯s father ran a Japanese restaurant in the region.
Inkonbini: Slice-of-life, cozy gaming from Japan¡¯s convenience stores
Alongside the simplified management of a convenience store, Inkonbini asks players to help a small cast of regular shoppers with not only their shopping but problems in their personal lives.
Japanese developers worry over construction supply shortages amid Iran war
Paul Nikel, President of West Canada Homes, with an increasingly rare supply of plastic foam

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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