Japan asks to participate in Sakhalin-3 project

Japan has asked Russia to allow it to participate in a new natural gas development project off Sakhalin.

Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba made the request when he met Russia's industry and trade minister Viktor Khristenko in Tokyo on Monday.

The project, called Sakhalin-3, will pump oil and natural gas from off the Russian Far East island. Japanese firms hope to join in the project.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin agreed on Japanese-Russian cooperation in energy, when they talked over the telephone earlier this month.

Russia has offered to increase the supply of liquefied natural gas to Japan following the March disaster. Khristenko said Russia is ready to continue talks on supplying energy to Japan.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 05:51 +0900 (JST)