Japan imported a record 78.53 million tonnes of LNG in 2011 in a 12.2% rise on 2010 purchasing.
Ministry of Finance data shows that the country, which was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in March last year that resulted in nuclear power plant shutdowns, saw coal and oil imports fall 5.1% and 2.7% respectively.
LNG imports rose by 13.5% year-on-year in December to hit 7.2
