As negotiations intensify between Japan and the United States regarding President Donald Trump’s tariffs, a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) project is emerging as a potential leverage point for Tokyo.
The Alaska LNG project involves constructing a 1,300-kilometer pipeline from the North Slope gas field in northern Alaska to a newly built liquefaction plant. Once operational, the project could supply Japan and other East Asian nations with 20 million tons of LNG annually.
While the concept for this pipeline has been in discussions for years, the exorbitant cost has remained the primary challenge. The total cost is estimated to be around $44 billion USD, or over ¥6 trillion JPY, which is more than twice the expense of a similar LNG project currently in Texas. With rising material prices, the cost may increase further as the project undergoes additional scrutiny.
If these costs are ultimately passed down to consumers, Japan could face
image source from：japan-forward
