Japan is aiming high! It nurtures an ambition to build an LNG pipeline in Alaska. Currently, Japan’s government is prepared to financially support a $44 billion gas pipeline project in Alaska, hoping to win favor with US President Donald Trump. Officials in Tokyo believe that such a move could also help avert potential trade disputes.
Next week, Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Tokyo officials expect that during this meeting, the US president will bring up the pipeline project, which he considers crucial to America’s prosperity and security.
The project in question involves the construction of a 1,300-kilometer pipeline, designed to connect natural gas fields in northern Alaska to a southern port, from where the gas would be shipped to Asian consumers. Despite their doubts about the feasibility of such a project, Japan’s authorities are willing to negotiate the deal.
In return, Japan may offer several concessions to the US, including purchasing large volumes of American LNG, increasing defense spending, and boosting investments in US manufacturing. These measures are seen as necessary steps to reduce the $56 billion bilateral trade deficit and prevent new tariffs from being imposed by Trump's administration.
