Some of the largest Japanese offtakers of U.S. LNG met with federal and Alaskan officials during a summit in Japan to discuss developing an export project that could connect North Slope natural gas to a supply-short Asian market.

At a summit convened in Tokyo by U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and officials with the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) presented details of the long-proposed Alaska LNG project. Also at the meeting were representatives of some of the world’s largest buyers of LNG, including Inpex Corp, JERA, Mitsubishi Corp. and Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd.

Alaska’s Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the meeting gave officials a chance to demonstrate “Alaska LNG’s incredible potential to provide Japan with a multigenerational supply...