U.S. and Japan agree to new LNG exports

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump met today at the White House and announced plans for Japan to import more U.S. LNG, or fossil gas.

Fossil gas causes devastating impacts on communities and the planet, starting from when a hole is drilled in the ground to the LNG export terminals in the Gulf South to Japanese import facilities. Last week, a delegation of community leaders from the U.S. visited Japan to expose the destructive impacts of Japanese financing for U.S. LNG-related facilities.

Manning Rollerson, Black community rights activist and founder of Freeport Haven Project for Environmental Justice, says:

“I have watched our Texas Gulf South community transform into what can only be described as a sacrifice zone. Buying more LNG from the U.S. means Japan contributes to the destruction of communities and the planet. In my backyard, the Freeport LNG terminal that Japanese energy giant JERA invested in exploded in 2022. Japan must not buy any more LNG from the U.S.”

The impact of LNG is not starting from the terminal but it starts when extracted from the ground. Sharon Wilson, founder of Oilfield Witness has been documenting the invisible pollutions from the oil and gas facilities for many years with an Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) camera and showed us how dirty the industry is.

“Prime Minister Ishiba, I have taken my OGI camera to LNG power plants and import facilities in your country.” says Sharon Wilson. “As expected, these sites emitted alarming amounts of methane. Prime Minister, they lied to you about LNG being a viable ‘transition fuel.’ The industry cannot be trusted. Trump cannot be trusted.”

Roishetta Ozane, the founder of Vessel Project of Louisiana and a coordinator of the Gulf Finance Hub, says:

“Prime Minister Ishiba, as a resident of Sulphur, L.A., a community plagued by pollution, I see firsthand the dangers of an over-reliance on LNG. My children suffer from health issues directly linked to this environmental crisis. The harmful policies and actions from leaders like Trump only exacerbate our plight, threatening our air, our health, and our future. We must take immediate action to prioritize clean energy and protect our communities from further harm.”

Susanne Wong, Asia Program Manager of Oil Change International, says:
“Trump is once again putting fossil fuel industry profits over people’s lives – the same industry that poured hundreds of millions into electing him. Financing U.S. LNG poses serious risks for Japanese investors and jeopardizes a liveable future for our communities. These deals aren’t about energy security – they’re about enriching fossil fuel billionaires at the expense of frontline communities and our climate. In spite of this announcement, the future of U.S. LNG expansion is uncertain because of strong community opposition, legal challenges, and the difficulties of securing financing and buyers for the gas.

Hiroki Osada, campaigner at Friends of the Earth Japan, says:

“The Japanese government says the LNG is for energy security but Japanese companies are reselling their LNG to other countries, and the volume of reselling is actually more than its biggest LNG exporter, Australia. . Volatile LNG price has been suffering both Japanese reselling companies and consumers. Buying more LNG makes no sense in every sense: economy, climate change, and energy security.”

Trump and Ishiba also discussed Japanese support for Alaska LNG projects. Kate DeAngelis, Economic Policy Deputy Director of Friends of the Earth US says “President Trump is pushing forward with the extraction and export of gas in Alaska despite the negative impacts on protected lands and Indigenous Peoples. The Japanese government should not allow Trump to use it as its puppet in financing projects that are a bad deal for both the Japanese and American people.”