Japan Energy Deal JERA Qatar LNG LNG Imports Japan AI Data Center Energy Global Energy News — JERA signs long-term LNG deal with Qatar to meet Japan’s growing energy needs and support AI data centers.

Japan’s JERA signs long-term 27-year natural gas deal Qatar

Japan’s JERA secures 27-year Qatar gas deal to ensure stable energy amid rising AI and data center demand.

By Fahad Last updated Feb 4, 2026

Japanese energy company – (Web Desk) – Japanese energy company JERA announced on Tuesday that it has reached a 27-year agreement to buy gas from Qatar. The deal comes as Japan seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian energy while ensuring enough supply to meet growing demand from data centers and AI technologies.

Under the agreement with QatarEnergy, JERA will purchase 3 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) each year starting in 2028. While financial details were not officially shared, the Nikkei business daily estimates the deal could be worth up to 250 billion yen ($1.6 billion) annually.

Japan, which has limited domestic energy resources, depends heavily on imports—mostly from the Middle East—to generate electricity. At the same time, the country is gradually expanding nuclear power, 15 years after the Fukushima disaster, while preparing for rising electricity needs driven by AI and other technology-focused data centers.

The administration of President Donald Trump has also encouraged Japan to buy more US energy and to reduce purchases of Russian gas.

JERA said in June it had finalised 20-year agreements to buy up to 5.5 million tonnes per year of LNG from the United States — triple the current amount.

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And in September the firm said it would consider buying LNG from a mooted major gas project in Alaska that has been championed by Trump.

“As Japan expects an increase in electricity demand driven by the expansion of data centres, semiconductor manufacturing, and other energy-intensive infrastructure, gas-fired power generation will continue to play a critical role in maintaining Japan’s energy stability,” JERA said in a statement.

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Through 2021, JERA used to procure as much as 6.2 million tons of LNG a year from Qatar, but the volume dropped to 700,000 tons a year as the two sides negotiated prices and other conditions, Japanese broadcaster NHK said.