The government will double natural gas imports from Australia and Papua New Guinea via the Pacific Ocean over the next five years, as Japan’s major gas import route currently passes through the South China Sea, where territorial disputes are intensifying among neighboring countries, sources said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leaves Japan on Sunday to meet with the prime ministers of both countries. He is expected to announce support for natural gas development in those countries during the trip.

The policy was formulated in consideration of the ongoing territorial disputes between China, Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea—through which 60 percent of Japan’s natural gas imports pass—as well as a desire to diversify supply routes, the sources said.

About 18 million tons of natural gas for power generation and other purposes was imported from Australia in 2013, or 20 percent of the total. Imports from Papua New Guinea began just last month.

The government wants to increase this amount to about 36 million tons by 2019. MORE