JERA, the world's largest LNG buyer, says Japan's stocks are sufficient to October with no risk of summer power shortages

JERA, the world's largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and Japan's biggest purchaser of the fuel, told media on Friday, 31 July 2026, that it has secured sufficient stocks for the peak summer demand season from August to October and that there is no risk to stable power supply during the peak air conditioning period. The report was carried by Channel News Asia.

A company executive said JERA has significantly reduced its LNG purchases from Qatar and will cover winter supply through its global trading division. Japan is one of the most energy import dependent countries in the world and previously sourced much of its oil and gas from West Asia. War related disruption to export flows has pushed the country to secure alternatives, most of which have come from the United States.

Last month JERA signed a 20 year LNG supply contract with Malaysia's Petronas, with deliveries starting in 2028 and volumes of 2 million tons a year. Malaysia is Japan's second largest LNG supplier after Australia. The company last year also announced plans to triple its purchases from the United States alone to as much as 5.5 million tons annually. Japanese utilities were forced earlier this year to ramp up coal fired generation to maintain security of electricity supply.