Japan aims to maintain stakes in Russia's Sakhalin 2 energy project

Putin will steal Japan's investment and then ask for more money.

So you think Ukraine should surrender, right Antiquesavings?

I hope you don't think the rest of us are also pessimistic fatalists who want to appease Putin.

Why shouldn't Japan keep its stake?

The hypocrisy in the west, Ukraine, NATO is incredible.

So, Germany gets it gas from Russia, the gas was cut by 60% because the pump was under maintenance in Canada, Canada seized it but finally returned it after Germany put pressure on Canada.

Zelensky condemned Canada and Germany for giving in.

He claimed Ukraine offered Germany an alternative.

Turns out the "alternative was buying Russian gas via Ukraine at a higher price.

So Ukraine says "Don't buy Russian gas" well " unless you buy it through us, then it is ok"

NATO can't even get all its members to join the Sanctions as Turkey refuses to join.

So basically it is another situation of the Western powers saying "do as we say, not as we do"

Besides Sakhalin 2, Japan also invests in the Sakhalin 1 project, with Sakhalin Oil and Gas Development Co -- a Japanese consortium involving the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, trading houses Itochu Corp and Marubeni Corp and others -- holding a 30 percent stake.

Interesting to know, what percentage does the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (gov't) owns in the 30 percent and also the conditions and clauses.

Well, that is asking the impossible as we all know real journalism is extinct here.

Naive in the extreme!

Japan Inc. want to have it both ways. Impose sanctions on one hand and still keep receiving competitive (read cheap) LNG.

J Gov. should prepare plan B to avoid rolling blackouts and reliable story to citizens.

option B-play US poodle,keep sanctions on Russia,loose own stake to gas business in Sakhalin and cut reasonably priced deliveries of oil and gas from Russia,put all japanese economy on brink of collapse and serious problems in short time

B-please. Maintain sanctions. Sink Russia's economy. Apply all the leverage we can.

there is proverb in my country.

you cant take seat at two chairs same time,you cant attend two separate weddings at same time too.

Japan have to decide what is their priority.

option A-normalize ties with Russia,means stop meaningless sanctions,return back to normal life with Russia,secure reasonably priced oil and gas for its economy

option B-play US poodle,keep sanctions on Russia,loose own stake to gas business in Sakhalin and cut reasonably priced deliveries of oil and gas from Russia,put all japanese economy on brink of collapse and serious problems in short time

Fumio show your balls man.

Self preservation is a strong motivator.

Putin holds all the cards here. Biden was supposed to persuade Middle Eastern OPEC members to increase production to protect the supplies of its allies. But that didn't go so well. Traditionally, the US give Japan a free pass on all the stuff they expect their other allies to do, in terms of sanctions etc. He may still do that, but Putin may still kick Japan out. because it is a US ally, sequestrating Japanese assets. [Future] Japanese taxpayers will probably be making up the losses via borrowing. The sanctions will reduce emissions in the West, but they are not hurting Putin. Quite the reverse. They are pushing up the price of Russian energy that is easy enough to fence via third parties. Biden, the Democrats and European governments however, are looking increasingly vulnerable as the resulting inflation bites. If the sanctions are still in place come winter, or Putin turns off the taps, European economies will be hammered and European regimes will not survive. The US and its allies have threatened Putin by putting a gun to their own heads. It worked in 'Blazing Saddles'. It is not working here. They were in a position to take refugees and supply arms, which is what happened in the 20th century when cold war powers trashed other peoples' countries, using them as proxy battlefields. The extras - weaponising energy, flight paths, debt repayments - was never going to deliver the quick win they hoped for. It was an ill-judged policy and it has backfired catastrophically. Arrogance? Hubris? Who knows why they did it. Perhaps the cold war skills were no longer available, and they just dived in, believing in their own supremacy. Dictatorships don't operate by the same rules as other countries, and are much harder to take down. They will regret not sending snipers to Moscow. In modern parlance, Washington and Brussels are 'no longer in control of the narrative'. And it is going to get worse. Will Japan be able to keep its head down as it often does? Time will tell. But Putin is not known for his benevolence and generosity to foreign governments.

Smart move for Japan, Instead of making stupid things to please interventionist whims from decadent West in better to have good relationships with Russia and China..

The future is RED..

Acting as an American subordinate and still expecting favors from Russia? Get real.

Russia is doing fine. People aren't faced with astronomical price rises like in the UK or lack of fuel.

The Rouble has been the world's best performing currency this year. Even the western media is finally admitting Ukraine (ie NATO ie USA) is not going to win. But some of us could have told you that from the start. This was years in the making. The Russians, just like the Chinese, think ahead, like decades, whereas the west shoot first and think later. You can see the results from the backfiring of the sanctions. The Global South (which accounts for most of the world) has simply had enough of the bullying and colonial attitude from the white west. SA has allowed China to buy oil with the yuan. The petrodollar will sink, slowly but surely. This is what happens when most American money is funneled to weapons manufacturers, leaving peanuts for American citizens - just look at its infrastructure and the multitude of social problems.

What America needs is a color revolution - someone should start a coup. Maybe third world countries should send some NGO's to America.

No more timber from Russia is drastically pushing up prices!

Canada 1st US 2nd Austria 4th biggest lumber exporter, theyll happily take Russias share

Yes but it's more expensive and takes much more energy to get that timber to market, which is helping push up energy prices and you know who gains from that? Japan certainly doesn't.

so sushi prices are going to rise.

actually a good thing, make Japanese eat less help fish stocks recover,

Actually some IMF economist said something similar about hunger. That it was a good thing because it forced people to work for less. Very sick people. The Russians say they are going to bring the whole rotten system down. I certainly hope they do.

do you think Japan will abandon Ukraine just so they can get cheap fish!? theyre not that heartless

So Japan has some kind of "emotional attachment" to Ukraine? For this reason, Japanese people must suffer continued and accelerating decline in living standards. When did this "emotional attachment" come to be? Ukraine has only existed as an independent state for around 30 years.

Considering Russia's loss of status, position, and leverage in the world as a result of the war in Ukraine, it's clear that Putin made a completely inept move that has been as disastrous as Russia's handling of Chernobyl that led to the collapse of the USSR was.

You may also be interested to hear that the Soviet Union has ceased to exist and radio cassettes aren't really a thing anymore,

and yet nearly alll of Russias weapons were made during the cold war, Russia military budget back then was around $300billion adjusted for inflation compared to around 50billion today, their military budget today is barely enough to keep their old soviet weapons' maintained

Putin would be an idiot to sever ties completely with Japan, does he look like an idiot?

Well he invaded a neighbouring country with an army of teenage conscripts armed with rusty vehicles, out-of-date rations to last a week, and not enough fuel to get all the way to Kyiv. And started blubbering and pouting when he found out that that neighbour, that was going to be a three-day walkover, had friends who were bigger than he was.

So, all things considered....yeah, he's obviously an idiot.

The Kishida government, trying hard to stay friends with both russia and the west, is also made up of idiots.

Sven AsaiToday 01:54 pm JST

Theoretically one could even step in more and take over the former Shell shares as the limit is only those 50% + one share for the Russians

China is aiming for the Shells stakes

Like I said before, Japan is here to stay in the sakalin2. Putin would be an idiot to sever ties completely with Japan, does he look like an idiot?

Two faced Japan. Who would have thought it....

Japan will do anything to support Japan Inc.'s vested interested -- thousands upon thousands of innocents in Ukraine be damned. Then it demands the world to praise the nation for taking in refugee -- I mean... what are they called here again? They don't even want to call them refugees because that might mean accepting them for more than a tourist visa.

No more timber from Russia is drastically pushing up prices!

Canada 1st US 2nd Austria 4th biggest lumber exporter, theyll happily take Russias share

so sushi prices are going to rise.

actually a good thing, make Japanese eat less help fish stocks recover,

do you think Japan will abandon Ukraine just so they can get cheap fish!? theyre not that heartless

hahahahhaha, where is your fight for democracy?

oh thats just crossing the Poland Ukraine border as we speak, in the

role of billions in missiles and anti tank weapons. soon to make contact with Russian targets.

seems like Poland once they join NATO will be sending weapons of their own. Putin wants Ukraine so bad,

going to pay a hefty price both economically and militarily.

Theoretically one could even step in more and take over the former Shell shares as the limit is only those 50% + one share for the Russians.

Take care of your own interest/your own citizens. Just do it without losing your credibility by shouting like your ally across the ocean, eg the BS/nonsense about autocracy/democracy?? After the recent visit to the Middle East, eg, meeting/working with autocrats??? Like best buddies?? Autocrats do not matter anymore??? People in the world are no fools.

Money over morals...further proof that the pro-LDP corporations are no different than the USA's GOP ones.

Smart move Japan. Take care of your citizens first. Germany is gonna pay a high price for their support of the US/NATO proxy war against Russia.

Precisely! Japan should do what is best for Japan, not shoot itself in the foot just because USA does! Europe is shot itself in the lungs and is now gasping for breath according to the Hungarian President. What happens in Ukraine has little or absolutely no effect on Japan at all. What happens in Japan's large neighbor has a huge effect. Like if you are in Japan and planning on buying a condo, should wait a while. No more timber from Russia is drastically pushing up prices! They are still buying fish. Just meeting the Russian trawlers at sea and moving it to Japanese trawlers but it's less efficient so sushi prices are going to rise.

With the plan, Mitsui & Co and Mitsubishi Corp would keep 12.5 percent and 10 percent stakes, respectively, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's signing of an order that sets up a new operating company to tighten its grip on the project.

To support Ukraine and PM Kishida's staunch commitment to maintain the G7 rules based world order, Japanese taxpayers are going to have to do the patriotic thing and bailout Mitsui and Mitsubishi with some tax increases and austerity.

hahahahhaha, where is your fight for democracy?

Japan aims to maintain stakes in Russia's Sakhalin 2 energy project

Smart move Japan. Take care of your citizens first. Germany is gonna pay a high price for their support of the US/NATO proxy war against Russia.

It is unknown whether Tokyo can maintain its stakes as Moscow will have the final say.

Well, as Putin made the move to put the gas project firmly in Russian hands, I would suggest Tokyo may well be disappointed.

Reap what sowed with Putin

This posturing is simply setting up a government bailout of Mitsui & Co and Mitsubishi Corp.

Japan aims to maintain stakes in Russia's Sakhalin 2 energy project

What a true friend / alley Japan is!