Secretary General of the Japanese Cabinet of Ministers Hirokazu Matsuno said that Japan is still focused on gaining independence from Russian energy carriers against the background of the situation in Ukraine. In total, in the second half of 2022, the country reduced oil imports from Russia by about 90% compared to the same period in 2021, and coal by 60%. «Tokyo remains committed to a gradual exit from dependence on energy resources, including oil and coal,» the Secretary General said in his speech to reporters at a press conference. According to statistics released in January by the Ministry of Finance of Japan, in the calendar year 2022, the country of the Rising Sun reduced imports of Russian oil by 56.4%, coal by 41.3%, and non-ferrous metal ores by 38.8%. At the same time, imports of Russian liquefied natural gas increased by 4.6%. During January 2023, Japan reduced oil imports from Russia by 76% compared to January 2022, LNG imports decreased by 9.7%. Imports of non-ferrous metals also decreased by 37.4%. At the same time, imports of non-ferrous metal ore in January of this year increased by 76.1% compared to January of last year.
