TOKYO, Japan: Japan's new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, told U.S. President Donald Trump during their meeting in Tokyo that it would be difficult for Japan to stop importing Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to two Japanese government officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The officials said the topic came up during the leaders' bilateral talks, and Takaichi asked Trump to understand Japan's energy needs. Russia supplies about nine percent of Japan's LNG, and Japanese firms, including Mitsubishi, hold stakes in the Sakhalin-2 project in Russia's Far East.

Before Trump's Asia trip, Washington urged countries, including Japan, to stop buying Russian energy and to sanction major oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil to increase pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine war.

According to the Nikkei newspaper, Takaichi — Japan's first female prime minister, elected last week — told Trump that cutting off Russian LNG would only benefit China and Russia.

China and India are the biggest buyers of Russian energy, though many Indian refiners have recently paused new purchases due to the latest U.S. sanctions as they await further guidance.

Japan has boosted its U.S. LNG imports in recent years to diversify away from Australia and prepare for the expiry of its Sakhalin-2 contracts between 2028 and 2033. Japan's industry minister warned that replacing that gas would be expensive and could raise electricity prices.

Currently, Japan buys less than one percent of its oil from Russia under a sanctions waiver that expires in December. Most of its oil still comes from the Middle East.