Japan is considering offering guarantees for about 1trillion yen (10. 8 billion dollars) in loans for projects to securecheaper liquefied natural gas, dpa quoted a minister saying Friday. "Reducing fuel costs is a pressing issue for our country's economy," Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told a news conference. The loans would allow Japanese companies to invest in extraction projects in the United States and elsewhere, in return for cheaper supplies when those projects come online. Japan has struggled with mounting costs from importing fuel for thermal power as 48 of its 50 reactors have been idled after the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
