Japan’s Oil, Gas Imports to Remain High

摘要

Japan’s final stamp of approval for the restart of two idled nuclear reactors last weekend is not expected to curb the country’s appetite for oil and LNG imports, which has been rising since last year’s Fukushima crisis prompted the shutdown of the country’s nuclear reactors. Market players expect Japanese utilities to continue buying more oil and LNG unless more reactors are allowed to restart, but this looks unlikely in the near term (OD Jun.14’12).