TOKYO, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Securing new long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) contracts could be challenging for Japanese companies due to uncertainty over demand, Hitoshi Nishizawa, executive director and head of LNG contract management division at JERA, told a conference.

Competition for LNG may even further increase if Japan does not restart nuclear power capacities as planned, Nishizawa said.

(Reporting by Katya Golubkova and Yuka Obayashi)