TOKYO, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Japanese trading house Mitsui ( MITSF )

could consider studying a project to liquefy natural

gas in the U.S. state of Alaska, but no decisions have been made

yet, Chief Financial Officer Tetsuya Shigeta said on Tuesday.

Japan is considering offering support for a $44-billion gas

pipeline in Alaska as it seeks to court U.S. President Donald

Trump and forestall potential trade friction, sources told

Reuters last week.

Shigeta said he hoped a meeting expected this week between

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump would help enhance

Japan's presence in the United States, reaffirming its role as

the latter's largest source of investment.

Asked about the reported LNG development in Alaska, Shigeta

said it was a natural candidate for consideration, presenting a

valuable opportunity because of its proximity to Japan and other

Asian countries.

"But we have nothing we can talk about now, including our

policy," he added.