Washington has called on Japan to stop importing Russian energy products, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, shortly after President Donald Trump announced that India would end its purchases of oil from Moscow.
In a post on X, Bessent stated that he had spoken with Japan’s Finance Minister, Katsunobu Kato, who was visiting Washington, and conveyed to him “the U.S. government’s expectation that Japan cease importing energy from Russia.”
Today I met with Finance Minister @KatsunobuKato1 of Japan to discuss plans for mobilizing Japan's strategic investment in the United States through the US.-Japan trade and investment agreement.
Minister Kato and I also discussed important issues pertaining to the U.S.-Japan… pic.twitter.com/penSszxj8k
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) October 16, 2025
Resource-poor Japan is heavily dependent on oil and gas imports. In 2023, the country spent 582 billion yen (€3.3 billion) on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to the latest available customs data — an increase of about 56% compared to 2021.
Russia accounted for 8.9% of Japan’s total LNG imports in 2023, making it the nation’s third-largest supplier after Australia (42.6%) and Malaysia (15%).
“I prefer to refrain from commenting on remarks made by other ministers,” Kato told Japanese reporters in Washington. He added, “We remain determined to do everything in our power to achieve a just peace in Ukraine, in cooperation with other G7 nations.”
President Donald Trump, for his part, said a few hours earlier that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised him that New Delhi would stop buying Russian oil. “I was unhappy that India was purchasing oil, and he assured me today that they will no longer buy oil from Russia,” the Republican leader said from the Oval Office. “That’s a big step forward. Now I have to convince China to do the same,” he added.
India has not immediately confirmed the statement.
On August 27, the U.S. president imposed a 50% tariff on Indian exports in retaliation for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, arguing that such revenue fuels Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. The United States remains India’s largest trading partner.
Bessent also noted that he and Kato discussed “projects aimed at mobilizing Japan’s strategic investments in the United States under the U.S.-Japan Trade and Investment Agreement.”
As part of the deal signed with Tokyo in July, which lowered certain tariff surcharges imposed on Japan, Washington is demanding Japanese investments totaling $550 billion on American soil. However, the implementation details are still under negotiation, with Tokyo insisting that most of the funds will take the form of loans and guarantees — mainly through state-backed Japanese institutions — rather than direct investments.
