Japan has warned that its relationship with Australia could be jeopardised as a coal reservation scheme by the New South Wales (NSW) government risks cutting coal exports to the country.
According to The Australian, Japanese Consul-General Tokuda Shuichi had written a letter to the NSW government to express the concerns of Japanese companies about the coal reservation measure introduced in mid-January.
While the Japanese consulate did not elaborate on the letter’s content, it was understood that Japan worried about the impact of the NSW government’s decision on the coal supply to the country.
Any interruption to the supply will likely affect the Japanese economy, which has suffered from the global energy crisis following the war in Ukraine and undermine Australia’s reputation as a coal exporter….