Japanese LNG imports dip the second month in a row

Japan’s imports of liquefied natural gas have slipped for the second month in a row.

Provisional data released by Japan’s Ministry of Finance shows that during the month of April Japan imported a total of 4.97 million tonnes of LNG. This is a 4.3 per cent drop when compared to the corresponding month in 2020.

Even compared to the month of March, LNG imports into Japan slipped. To remind, LNG imports in March reached 7.13 million tonnes.

The value of LNG imports reached $2 billion, 3.2 per cent up on the value recorded in April 2020. However, it was lower when compared to the previous month when the ministry reported a value of $2.74 billion.

Deliveries from Asian sources such as Malaysia and Indonesia jumped up 22.8 per cent year-on-year, reaching 1.22 million tons. At the same time, imports of LNG from the Middle Eastern sources slumped 22.3 per cent ton 514,000 tons.

Data shows that year-on-year Japan’s imports of Russian LNG jumped up 17.1 per cent to 460,000 tons while imports of U.S. LNG edged up 12.2 per cent to 392,000 tons.

Imports of coal for power generation slipped 15.5 per cent to 7.69 million tons in April 2021.