In 2026, liquified natural gas (LNG) was forecast to cost approximately 11.5 U.S. dollars per million British thermal units in Japan. The country imported the majority of its natural gas supply from overseas. Natural gas production in JapanSince Japan has limited natural resources, it heavily depends on imports for its primary energy supply. Only a small amount of the total supply of natural gas energy is produced domestically in areas such as Hokkaido, Chiba, or Niigata Prefecture. The natural gas produced in the around 60 oil and natural gas mines operating in Japan is mainly wet and dry natural gas. Minami-Kanto natural gas fields dissolved in water, which lies across Chiba Prefecture and surrounding prefectures, yields close to 20 percent of the total production of natural gas in the country. The saltwater in the field also includes a great amount of iodine. Japan is hence one of the leading countries regarding iodine production. LNG importsApart from the two percent of in-house natural gas production, the rest of the natural gas supply in Japan originates from liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from countries like Australia, the state of Qatar, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Japan imported over 71 megatons of LNG in recent years, making the country the world’s largest importer of LNG. Natural gas and LNG accounted for over 21 percent of the total primary energy supply in Japan, indicating that natural gas and LNG are some of the most essential resources the country requires.

Natural gas prices (Japan) in , June, 2025 For that commodity indicator, we provide data from January 1977 to June 2025. The average value during that period was 7.25 USD per million British thermal units with a minimum of 2.72 USD per million British thermal units in December 1998 and a maximum of 23.73 USD per million British thermal units in September 2022. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

Global liquefied natural gas prices have shown less volatility in 2024 and 2025 than the years prior, with the benchmark price reaching ***** U.S. dollars per million metric British thermal units in June 2025. This figure represents an increase from the same period a year earlier. The global LNG benchmark, which is largely influenced by Asian market trading, particularly Indonesian LNG in Japan, serves as a key indicator for the industry's pricing trends. Natural gas prices become less volatile The Asian LNG market experienced less turbulence in 2024 compared to the previous year, with price volatility dropping to ** percent. This relative stability followed an exceptionally volatile 2022, when LNG demand surged due to sanctions on Russian imports. The global natural gas price index, which encompasses European, Japanese, and American markets, stood at ***** index points in May 2025, showing a slight decrease that month. This trend is also reflected in overall lower crude oil price indices. Landed prices vis-à-vis export prices Due to its geographical location, Japan is exclusively reliant on LNG trading for its natural gas supply. As such, Japan's landed LNG spot price is often higher than for other markets, reaching approximately ***** U.S. dollars per million British thermal units in January 2024. By comparison, the world's largest LNG exporter, the United States, has seen its LNG export prices decrease to **** U.S. dollars per thousand cubic feet in 2024, down from **** U.S. dollars the previous year.

Japan and China have some of the highest spot prices for liquefied natural gas. In January 2024, customers in Japan and China paid approximately 10.05 U.S. dollars per million British thermal unit of LNG delivered. Destination markets in Europe and South America experienced slightly lower shipping costs. In the last few years, the global trade volume of LNG has increased notably, exceeding 500 billion cubic meters shipped.

LNG demand growth and largest destination markets

Increased gas demand and improved liquefaction technology has prompted growth in the gas market and the entry of new players. LNG prices were initially strongly influenced by crude oil, however, as the market grew it developed independent benchmarks. As one of the largest LNG importing countries, the price for LNG in Japan has become synonymous with the global benchmark.

United States Natural Gas Exports: Average Price: LNG: Japan data was reported at 8.250 USD/1000 Cub ft in Aug 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.860 USD/1000 Cub ft for Jul 2018. United States Natural Gas Exports: Average Price: LNG: Japan data is updated monthly, averaging 4.145 USD/1000 Cub ft from Jan 1989 (Median) to Aug 2018, with 334 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.590 USD/1000 Cub ft in Jun 2012 and a record low of 0.000 USD/1000 Cub ft in Nov 2016. United States Natural Gas Exports: Average Price: LNG: Japan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.P007: Natural Gas Price.

Gas export to Japan has become an important source of revenue for Indonesia since the 1970s. Traditionally, the gas was priced with linkage to the oil price. However, changes in the market during the early 2010s has put pressure to this traditional pricing mechanism. Using the Vector Auto-regression (VAR) approach, this research aims to understand whether the spot LNG import pricing in Japan is moving away from JCC linkage or not, and the extent of the change if there is any. LNG price analyzed in this research is the Japanese spot cargo import price, published by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry from March 2014 to November 2017. The Japanese LNG spot price was regressed against US Henry Hub (HH) and UK NBP gas hub prices, Japan Customs-Cleared (JCC) crude oil price, and Japan imported coal price in the same period.The historical decomposition of the VAR model suggests that the spot LNG price in Japan were increasingly affected by US Henry Hub and UK NBP gas prices, while the effect of JCC crude oil price is weaker, and Japanese imported coal having no significant effect towards Japanese spot LNG price. The impact of mature gas hub prices is also dynamic: HH is showing stronger effect in the mid 2016, then it changed to the domination of NBP in mid 2017.The result further indicates the increasing connectivity of gas price around the world, with US and UK price affecting Japanese gas price through spot LNG trade. Due to the demand condition in Japan and East Asian market in general, the continuation of US/European gas hub price effect is likely to happen until early 2020s, as the slight deficit in this region might be fulfilled by spot LNG import. Under the new domestic gas pricing regulation in Indonesia, the continuation of NBP impact towards gas pricing in Japan might reduce the price to the level at which fulfilling the increasing domestic gas demand is more efficient than exporting LNG.

Imports of Liquefied Natural Gas in Japan decreased to 597288.43 JPY Million in February from 622391.01 JPY Million in January of 2024. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for Japan Imports of Liquefied Natural Gas.

Graph and download economic data for Global price of LNG, Asia (PNGASJPUSDM) from Jan 1992 to Jun 2025 about Asia, World, and price.

Natural gas rose to 3.09 USD/MMBtu on August 1, 2025, up 0.10% from the previous day. Over the past month, Natural gas's price has fallen 11.31%, but it is still 57.26% higher than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Natural gas - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on August of 2025.

Gasoline Prices in Japan decreased to 1.18 USD/Liter in July from 1.20 USD/Liter in June of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Japan Gasoline Prices - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In 2021, the average import price of LNG to Japan amounted to **** U.S. dollar per million British thermal unit. The price decreased compared to over ten dollars in 2018.

About the Project

KAPSARC is analyzing the shifting dynamics of the global gas markets. Global gas markets have turned upside down during the past five years: North America has emerged as a large potential future LNG exporter while gas demand growth has been slowing down as natural gas gets squeezed between coal and renewables. While the coming years will witness the fastest LNG export capacity expansion ever seen, many questions are raised on the next generation of LNG supply, the impact of low oil and gas prices on supply and demand patterns and how pricing and contractual structure may be affected by both the arrival of U.S. LNG on global gas markets and the desire of Asian buyers for cheaper gas.

Key Points

In the past year, global gas prices have dropped significantly, albeit at unequal paces depending on the region. All else being equal, economists would suggest that this should have generated a positive demand response. However, “all else” was not equal. Prices of other commodities also declined while economic growth forecasts were downgraded.

Prices at benchmark points such as the U.K. National Balancing Point (NBP), U.S. Henry Hub (HH) and Japan/Korea Marker (JKM) slumped due to lower oil prices, liquefied natural gas (LNG) oversupply and unseasonal weather. Yet, the prices of natural gas in local currencies have increased in a number of developing countries in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, former Soviet Union (FSU) and Asia.

North America experienced demand growth while gas in Europe and Asia faced rising competition from cheaper coal, renewables and, in some instances, nuclear. Gains to European demand were mostly weather related while increases in Africa and Latin America were not significant.

For LNG, Europe became the market of last resort as Asian consumption declined. Moreover, an anticipated surge in LNG supply, brought on by several new projects, may lead to a confrontation with Russian or other pipeline gas suppliers to Europe. At the same time, Asian buyers are seeking concessions on pricing and flexibility in their long-term contracts.

Looking ahead, natural gas has to prove itself a credible and affordable alternative to coal, notably in Asia, if the world is to reach its climate change targets. The future of the gas industry will also depend on oil prices, evolution of Chinese energy demand and impact of COP21 on national energy policies. Current low prices mean there is likely to be a pause in final investment decisions (FIDs) on LNG projects in the coming years.

United States Natural Gas Exports: Avg Price: LNG: To Japan: From Corpus Christi, Texas data was reported at 5.660 USD/1000 Cub ft in May 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.710 USD/1000 Cub ft for Dec 2022. United States Natural Gas Exports: Avg Price: LNG: To Japan: From Corpus Christi, Texas data is updated monthly, averaging 11.350 USD/1000 Cub ft from Jan 2022 (Median) to May 2024, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.630 USD/1000 Cub ft in Jun 2022 and a record low of 5.660 USD/1000 Cub ft in May 2024. United States Natural Gas Exports: Avg Price: LNG: To Japan: From Corpus Christi, Texas data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.P015: Natural Gas Export Price: Liquefied Natural Gas.

United States Natural Gas Exports: Avg Price: LNG: To Japan: From Cove Point, Maryland data was reported at 7.680 USD/1000 Cub ft in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.750 USD/1000 Cub ft for 2023. United States Natural Gas Exports: Avg Price: LNG: To Japan: From Cove Point, Maryland data is updated yearly, averaging 7.830 USD/1000 Cub ft from Dec 2018 (Median) to 2024, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.600 USD/1000 Cub ft in 2022 and a record low of 7.680 USD/1000 Cub ft in 2024. United States Natural Gas Exports: Avg Price: LNG: To Japan: From Cove Point, Maryland data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.P016: Natural Gas Export Price: Liquefied Natural Gas: Annual.

Japan Inventory: Natural Gas data was reported at 215.152 Cub m mn in May 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 212.934 Cub m mn for Apr 2018. Japan Inventory: Natural Gas data is updated monthly, averaging 227.322 Cub m mn from Mar 1998 (Median) to May 2018, with 243 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 258.888 Cub m mn in Jun 2016 and a record low of 144.000 Cub m mn in Oct 1998. Japan Inventory: Natural Gas data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.RB006: Energy Inventory and Shipment.

The global natural gas price index stood at 184.84 index points in April 2025. Natural gas prices decreased by nearly 30 index points that month as heating fuel demand fell. The global price index takes into account indices from Europe, Japan, and the United States – some of the largest natural gas trading markets. The U.S. is the leading natural gas exporter in the world. Means of trading natural gas Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is the most common form of trading natural gas. Although piped gas is often the preferred choice for transportation between neighboring producing and consuming countries, seaborne trade as LNG has grown in market volume. This is in part thanks to high consumption in pipeline-inaccessible areas such Japan, Korea, and China, as well as the recent increase in LNG trade by European countries. Major natural gas price benchmarks The natural gas prices often used as global benchmarks are Europe’s Dutch TTF traded on the Intercontinental Exchange, Indonesian LNG in Japan, and the U.S. Henry Hub traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange. 2022 was an especially volatile year for natural gas prices, as supply was severely constrained following sanctions on Russian imports. Other reasons for recent spikes in gas prices are related to issues at refineries, changes in demand, and problems along seaborne supply routes.

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Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Market Size 2025-2029

The liquefied natural gas (LNG) market size is forecast to increase by USD 27.79 billion, at a CAGR of 8% between 2024 and 2029.

The market is experiencing significant growth, driven by the surge in LNG production and the increasing demand for LNG bunkering. The production increase is due to the expansion of LNG infrastructure in key producing regions, enabling greater access to natural gas resources and facilitating the liquefaction process. Simultaneously, the demand for LNG bunkering is rising as more shipping companies adopt LNG as a cleaner alternative fuel for their vessels, in response to stricter environmental regulations. However, the LNG market faces challenges, including the fluctuations in global oil and gas prices. These price volatilities can impact the profitability of LNG projects, as the price of LNG is closely linked to the price of oil.
Additionally, the infrastructure required for LNG production, transportation, and regasification is capital-intensive and complex, posing challenges for companies looking to enter the market. Furthermore, safety concerns and the need for specialized expertise to handle LNG can create operational challenges for companies. To capitalize on market opportunities and navigate these challenges effectively, companies must remain agile, invest in innovative technologies, and collaborate with industry partners to optimize their operations and mitigate risks.

What will be the Size of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Market during the forecast period?

Explore in-depth regional segment analysis with market size data - historical 2019-2023 and forecasts 2025-2029 - in the full report.
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The market continues to evolve, driven by shifting consumer demands, technological advancements, and regulatory changes. LNG metering and insulation technologies are crucial components in ensuring accurate measurement and efficient storage of this cryogenic fuel. LNG derivatives and contracts provide flexibility in managing price risks and securing supply. Industrial applications of LNG span various sectors, including power generation, heavy-duty vehicles, and processing industries. LNG valves, membranes, and pumps are essential components in LNG infrastructure, enabling the safe and efficient handling of this fuel. Carbon capture and utilization are emerging applications, offering potential environmental benefits. LNG pricing remains volatile due to market dynamics, supply and demand imbalances, and geopolitical factors.

Transportation, from production sites to end-users, involves complex logistics, including LNG tankers, pipelines, and terminals. Regulations and safety standards are continually evolving to address emerging challenges and ensure the safe and sustainable use of LNG. LNG vaporization and shipping technologies are essential for converting LNG back into its gaseous state for use as a fuel. LNG bunkering and supply chain optimization are crucial for the growing use of LNG as a marine fuel. LNG utilization in residential applications and export markets is expanding, driven by innovation and evolving consumer preferences. LNG production processes, such as gas-to-liquids (GTL), are advancing to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.

LNG hydrogen and fuel cells are emerging applications, offering potential benefits in decarbonizing energy systems. The LNG market's continuous dynamism underscores the importance of staying informed about the latest trends and developments.

How is this Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Industry segmented?

The liquefied natural gas (lng) industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD billion' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

End-user

  Power
  Industry
  Others


Application

  Off-grid power plants
  Transportation
  Industrial and manufacturing
  Marine fuel
  Others


Geography

  North America

    US
    Canada


  Europe

    Norway
    Russia
    The Netherlands


  Middle East and Africa

    Qatar
    UAE


  APAC

    China
    Japan


  Rest of World (ROW)

.

By End-user Insights

The power segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is a critical component of the global energy landscape, with increasing demand driven by various factors. The shift towards cleaner fuels for power generation and industrial applications is a significant trend, as LNG emits fewer greenhouse gases compared to coal and oil. LNG cryogenics technology enables the liquefaction, storage, and transportation of natural gas in its liquid form, making it a versatile fuel for various sectors. LNG infrastructure, including regasification terminals and pipelines, is essential for importing and distr

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Index: OECD Groups: Energy (Fuel, Electricity, and Gasoline): Total for Japan (CPGREN01JPA657N) from 1960 to 2020 about fuels, electricity, energy, gas, Japan, CPI, price index, indexes, and price.

United States Natural Gas Exports: Avg Price: LNG: To Japan: From Port Nikiski, Alaska data was reported at 2.910 USD/1000 Cub ft in 1998. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.830 USD/1000 Cub ft for 1997. United States Natural Gas Exports: Avg Price: LNG: To Japan: From Port Nikiski, Alaska data is updated yearly, averaging 3.650 USD/1000 Cub ft from Dec 1996 (Median) to 1998, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.830 USD/1000 Cub ft in 1997 and a record low of 2.910 USD/1000 Cub ft in 1998. United States Natural Gas Exports: Avg Price: LNG: To Japan: From Port Nikiski, Alaska data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.P016: Natural Gas Export Price: Liquefied Natural Gas: Annual.

In November 2024, the average price of LNG imported to Japan amounted to 12.49 U.S. dollars per million British thermal units. It was slightly lower than the price in the same month the year previous.