Japanese trading firms and the nation's biggest power company have agreed on a new deal with the government of Oman to import more liquefied natural gas from the country. The move comes amid a global shortage of LNG due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Mitsui & Co., Itochu and Jera announced on Tuesday they have signed a deal to import over 2 million tons of LNG annually from 2025 over a period of about 10 years.

Japan's Industry Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi attended the signing ceremony in Oman's capital, Muscat.

Nishimura said, "It'll be extremely meaningful for Japan's energy security as the supply and demand of LNG is expected to remain tight."

Japan views Oman as an important partner for energy security as the Gulf state's location outside the Strait of Hormuz makes it less vulnerable to regional conflicts.

Japan currently imports over 1.9 million tons of LNG annually from Oman. This accounts for 2.6 percent of total imports of the energy source.

Mitsui and Itochu have stakes in Oman's LNG projects.

Sources say other Japanese firms are also negotiating deals with Oman. If they materialize, Japan's annual LNG imports from the country could increase significantly.