The United States has asked Japan if it could divert some of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports to Europe in the event of the Ukraine crisis disrupting supplies, four government sources told Reuters on Friday.

The request was made earlier this week, one of the sources said.

Japan, a major importer of LNG, would consider ways it could help the international community if there were any disruptions in gas supplies from Russia to Europe, Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda said earlier on Friday.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto; Writing by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Edmund Blair)