Japan's new PM Sanae Takaichi is expected to push for the accelerated revival of nuclear power to tackle inflation, a source of public discontent, with reactor restarts key to reducing costly fuel imports.
Takaichi has appointed Ryosei Akazawa, who was Japan's point person in its recent tariff deal with the US, as trade and industry minister - a portfolio that includes energy - signalling a willingness to engage with Washington, including on liquefied natural gas purchases, analysts said.
Her government plans a package of purchases to present to US President Donald Trump during his visit to Tokyo soon, including LNG, although not for now from the Alaskan pipeline project championed by Trump.
However, Akazawa said recently that it was essential to maximize power sources that contribute to energy security and decarbonization.
"We aim to proceed with nuclear restarts while taking concrete steps to gain the necessary understanding of local communities and stakeholders," he said.
Japan spent 10.7 trillion yen ($71 billion) last year on imported LNG and coal, a tenth of its import costs.
