Japan gets bulk of Russian LNG from Sakhalin-2 in 2025

Mitsubishi

21/04/2026 15:15

MOSCOW, April 21 (Reuters) - Japan acquired 58% of liquefied natural gas supplies from Russia's Sakhalin-2 plant in 2025 and also bought oil from the project for the first time since 2022, according to the project's operator, Sakhalinskaya Energia.

Japan, like other G7 countries, has reduced its Russian energy imports since the start of Moscow's conflict with Ukraine in February 2022, but has kept stakes in several fossil fuel projects in the country for its energy security.

It is the main buyer of LNG from Sakhalin-2 as Japanese companies Mitsui 8031.T and Mitsubishi 8058.T jointly own 22.5% of the project, which is dominated by Russia's state-controlled energy giant Gazprom GAZP.MM.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last October that he believed Japan would eventually stop receiving Russian LNG supplies and join the Alaska LNG project that U.S. President Donald Trump favours.

China accounted for 23.9% of LNG purchases from Sakhalin-2 last year, the project operator said.

In 2025, the project exported around 10.3 million metric tons of the super cooled gas. Around 17.5% went to South Korea.

Sakhalinskaya Energia also said that the project produced around 26.5 million barrels, or 3.3 million tons, of Sakhalin Blend oil last year.

Some 97.7% was shipped to China, while 2.3% was bought by Japan, its first purchase since 2022.

 (Reporting by Oksana Kobzeva; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by Susan Fenton)

 ((vladimir.soldatkin@thomsonreuters.com; twitter: @vsoldatkin;))