PM Kishida: Japan Will Not Withdraw From Russian Sakhalin-2 O&G Project

Russia's Kommersant and state-owned Tass reporting comments from Japanese PM Fumio Kishida stating that he will not withdraw Japan from the Sakhalin-2.

• Speaking in the House of Representatives, Kishida stated that “[Sakhalin-2] is an extremely important project for our energy security, as it contributes to long-term, low-cost and stable supply of LNG. We do not intend to get out of it,”
• The project is owned by Sakhalin Energy, which in turn is majority-controlled by Russia's Gazprom with a minority stake for Japanese firms Mitsui and Mitsubishi.
• There remains significant pressure from Russia hawks such as the US and UK for Western-aligned nations and firms within to swiftly and fully divest from Russian energy sources. However, for nations heavily reliant on Russian gas (many EU member states) and LNG/oil (Japan) there is little-to-no speedy alternative to switch to at present.