The country’s LNG imports dropped to 4.26 million tonnes last month compared to 5.37 million tonnes in April 2025.
LNG imports also dropped compared to 5.87 million tonnes in March, 5.82 million tonnes in February, and 6.24 million tonnes in January.
Moreover, Japan’s coal imports for power generation decreased in April compared to the same month last year.
The ministry’s data shows that coal imports were down by 4.5 percent to 7.10 million tonnes.
LNG import bill
The April LNG import bill, which was approxmately $2.39 billion, decreased by 1 percent compared to the same month last year.
JOGMEC said in its preliminary report earlier this month that the average price of spot LNG cargoes for delivery to Japan contracted in April 2026 and scheduled to be delivered from the month onward (contract-based price) was $19.1/MMBtu.
Moreover, the average price of spot LNG cargoes that were delivered in Japan within the month of April 2026 regardless of the month when the contracts were made (arrival-based price) was $17.9/MMBtu
JOGMEC said the confirmed figures for March 2026 were unchanged from the preliminary figures, with the contract-based price at $10.8/MMBtu and the arrival-based price not disclosed.
LNG prices and shipping rates skyrocketed after QatarEnergy halted LNG production on March 2 due to military attacks on its operating facilities in Ras Laffan. The company also declared force majueure to its buyers on March 4.
Japan Petroleum Exploration Co (Japex) recently said that it had purchased two spot LNG cargoes at “significantly” higher prices to substitute cargoes from the Middle East due to the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
LNG inventories
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) previously announced that Japan’s LNG inventories for power generation stood at 2.21 million tonnes on April 5, slightly up from 2.20 million tonnes the previous week.
According to METI, LNG inventories stood at 2.28 million tonnes on April 12, 2.22 million tonnes on April 19, 2.17 million tonnes on April 26, 2.06 million tonnes on May 3, 2.12 million tonnes on May 10, and 2.04 million tonnes on May 17.
Deliveries
As per LNG shipments to Japan in April, deliveries from Asia dropped by 20.2 percent year-on-year to 1.19 million tonnes, according to the ministry’s data.
Middle East LNG shipments dipped by 76.1 percent to 139,000 tonnes in April.
Moreover, shipments from Russia increased by 29.5 percent to 456,000 tonnes, while US deliveries rose by 2.1 percent to 195,000 tonnes in April.
China, the world’s largest importer of LNG, reported a 22.9 percent year-on-year decrease in LNG imports in April this year.
During January-April, Chinese LNG terminals received 17.94 million tonnes of LNG.
This is 4.25 million tonnes less than Japan imported during the four-month period.
