Inpex Holdings Inc. said Monday it will invest ¥100 billion to build a liquefied natural gas import terminal in northern Honshu.

Teikoku Oil Co., a unit of Inpex, will construct a terminal housing two 180,000-kiloliter storage tanks in the port of Naoetsu in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, Inpex said. Building is due to start as early as next year, with operations slated to begin in 2014.

Inpex, Japan's largest oil explorer, is expanding natural gas supply infrastructure in Tokyo and seven surrounding prefectures.