(April 7): Japan would consider investing in a long-delayed US$44 billion (RM195.12 billion) liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska as part of an effort to negotiate a trade deal with the US.

The Alaska energy project should be included in a trade package, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told parliament on Monday, as he seeks to put together a sweeping agreement with Washington. 

US President Donald Trump has touted the proposed project, though the high cost needed to build a liquefaction terminal and about 1,300km (808 miles) of pipeline has made potential participants wary. Developing an LNG project in Alaska would take a least a decade, Mitsubishi Corp president Katsuya Nakanishi said last week, questioning whether the project is viable.

Ishiba’s comments indicate that he’s willing to sign on to help win concessions in Washington’s quickly expanding trade war. Japan has been the world’s biggest LNG buyer so far this year, and the US is the world’s top supplier.

“In our negotiations with the US, we must present a package,” Ishiba said. “It is not wise to give out individual items one by one. How should we think about LNG from Alaska? How should we think about ethanol? We must present these as a package.”

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