The nuclear restart in Japan drastically reduces imports of natural gas.

Return to operation of Unit 6 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant will directly displace fossil fuels from Japan's energy mix, replacing imports of approximately 1.3 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually. According to data from the United States Energy Information Administration (Energy Information Administration – EIA), this 1,356-megawatt reactor will generate about 9,500 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year, which is a key step in reducing dependence on gas that in 2024 accounted for 33% of Japan's electricity production.

This LNG displacement trend has been underway since 2017, with the gradual reactivation of the nuclear fleet, which has led to a drop in gas imports from 11 billion cubic feet per day (2018) to 9 billion in 2025. Although Japan remains the second-largest global LNG importer, the return of nuclear capacities significantly changes the import structure, particularly affecting suppliers from the United States whose share in Japan's imports has fallen from 0.9 to 0.6 billion cubic feet per day in the last year.

Japan's long-term plan foresees that nuclear energy will provide 20% of total electricity by 2040, thereby further minimizing the role of gas-fired power plants. Currently, there are 15 reactors in operation in Japan, while to achieve the set targets a total of 30 units are planned to be activated.

We add that Japan is one of the most energy-dependent economically powerful countries in the world — since, like Serbia, it has almost no fossil fuel resources, Japan is forced to rely on imports or broad deployment of essentially new energy sources. For Japan, nuclear energy has long been one of the most important energy sources. After the Fukushima accident, however, all reactors in Japan were shut down and it became highly dependent on imports of fossil fuels. Yet, as we can see, the restart trend significantly reduces Japan's dependence on imports. We welcome this trend and again remind that this is exactly the situation in which our region finds itself, and that there are lessons to be learned from Japan that we could begin to learn.