Japan is predicting its winter will trend colder as La Nina stretches into a third year, increasing the need for heating fuels in the world’s second-biggest importer of liquefied natural gas. Temperatures from December through February are most likely to be normal or below in the east and the west, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Tuesday in a forecast . Snowfall in mainland areas facing the Sea of Japan will probably be normal or above. Japan imports almost a fifth of the world’s LNG and the forecast for colder weather threatens to further tighten the global market for the fuel, as well as coal. That comes amid heightened competition from European buyers looking to offset lost supply from Russia. The La Nina pattern, which […]