日本寻求加强石油储备战略

据今日油价12月11日报道，在中东地缘政治紧张局势之际，自然资源贫乏的日本正寻求加强其石油储备战略。

据报道，日本政府的一个能源小组周三建议加强石油储备计划。

日本大部分原油进口都依赖中东，日本工业省预计将在2020年制定一项新战略，以加强资源安全。一位官员表示，新战略的实施时间尚未确定，不过将从2012年起取代外汇储备计划。

EIA数据显示，日本目前是全球最大的液化天然气(LNG)进口国，在煤炭进口量、石油和其他液体燃料净进口量、原油和石油产品消费量等方面均排在全球前四位。2018年，日本是世界第三大煤炭进口国，仅次于印度和中国。

能源咨询公司伍德麦肯兹表示,日本在未来几年内将继续大量进口液化天然气, 但最早可能在2022年失去在中国的最大买家的地位，原因是煤炭、核能和可再生能源的竞争将导致日本进口量下降，减缓经济增长。

王佳晶 摘译自 今日油价

原文如下：

Japan Looks To Strengthen Oil Reserves Strategy

Japan, which is poor in natural resources, is looking to strengthen its reserves strategy for oil amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

An energy panel of the Japanese government recommended on Wednesday that the scheme for oil and rare metals reserves be strengthened, Reuters reports.

Japan, which relies on the Middle East for much of its crude oil imports, will aim to bolster its resource security with a new strategy expected to be drawn up by the industry ministry in 2020. The timing of the adoption of the new strategy, which is set to replace the reserves scheme from 2012, has not been decided yet, an official at the ministry told Reuters.

Japan is the currently the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer and ranks in the top four countries for the highest coal imports, net imports of petroleum and other liquids, and consumption of crude oil and petroleum products, according to EIA data. In 2018, Japan was the world’s third-largest coal-importing country after only India and China.

Japan will continue to import significant volumes of LNG in the coming years, but it is likely to lose its top buyer status to the current number-two—China—as early as 2022, energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie said in July this year, attributing an expected decline in Japanese imports to competition from coal, nuclear, and renewables, and to slow economic growth.