Japan Imported Record LNG Last Year

Japan's LNG imports for the year 2012 leaped to all time high at 87.31 million tonnes as demand for electricity generation increased after the nuclear sector was hit by the Fukushima crisis.

Reuters, citing government data, said that last year's shipments were also a record in value terms at 6 trillion yen, overturning a previous record in 2011. The country saw a record trade deficit of 6.927 trillion yen ($78.24 billion) in 2012 as the debt crisis in the euro zone and a territorial row with China hurt exports, while the shutdown of nuclear power plants after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami pushed up energy imports, Reuters added.

In December, LNG imports were 7.705 million tonnes, highest for the month of December and up 7.4 percent from a year earlier.

Japan is the world's top importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG).