Trump seeks to reshape Asia’s energy supplies with U.S. gas

When U.S. President Donald Trump sat down to lunch with his Japanese counterpart this month, talk turned quickly to how Tokyo could help realize a decades-old proposal to unlock gas in Alaska and ship it to U.S. allies in Asia.

Trump and his energy tsar Doug Burgum framed the venture as a way for Japan to replace Middle East energy shipments and address its trade imbalance with the U.S., according to two officials briefed on the closed-door talks.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba — eager to ensure a positive first meeting and stave off damaging U.S. tariffs — struck an optimistic note about the Alaska LNG project despite Tokyo’s doubts about its viability.