# East Asia Brief — Energy & Critical Minerals: Japan

Power supply for industry, refining capacity, rare earths and the chokepoints in between.

- [Japanese trading houses secure Indonesian HPAL nickel to bypass tolling bottlenecks](https://eastasiabrief.com/energy-minerals/japanese-trading-houses-secure-indonesian-hpal-nickel-bypass-tolling-72) — Capital commitments to Sulawesi mixed hydroxide precipitate refineries give East Asian battery supply chains direct access to upstream Indonesian intermediate… *(August 28, 2026; Energy & Minerals · Japan · Hanwa Co., Ltd., LS MnM Inc., Nickel Industries Limited)*
- [Japan nuclear restarts widen regional power cost gap for manufacturers](https://eastasiabrief.com/energy-minerals/japan-nuclear-restarts-widen-regional-power-cost-gap-manufacturers-56) — Faster reactor inspections in Kansai and Kanto compress utility fuel costs while reshaping industrial electricity tariffs across Japan. *(August 28, 2026; Energy & Minerals · Japan · Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Kansai Electric Power Company)*
- [JERA secures long-term North American LNG offtake to hedge spot volatility](https://eastasiabrief.com/energy-minerals/jera-secures-long-term-north-american-lng-offtake-hedge-26) — The Japanese utility giant signed binding multi-year contracts featuring destination flexibility to stabilize fuel procurement against seasonal demand spikes… *(August 28, 2026; Energy & Minerals · Japan · JERA, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Chubu Electric Power)*

Full text of each briefing: append `.md` to its URL. Site index: https://eastasiabrief.com/llms.txt
Publisher: East Asia Brief — https://eastasiabrief.com/