On Nov. 6, Tokyo Gas and several other firms held a commemorative event in Yokohama to mark the 50th anniversary of the introduction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) into Japan. Japan received its first LNG shipment from the U.S. state of Alaska on Nov. 4, 1969, via a transport ship, which docked at the Tokyo Gas Negishi Terminal in Yokohama. Japan’s imports of LNG rose from 180,000 tons in fiscal 1969 to 80.55 million tons in fiscal 2018. LNG has become a key energy source to support the nation’s electricity and gas supply. Japan is the world’s largest importer of LNG today.