Alberta is considering a financial investment in Japan's refining sector, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.

It's an attempt to reduce the province's overwhelming dependence on top trade partner the United States for oil exports.

Alberta's government is in early-stage talks with several Japanese crude oil refiners to explore a joint venture in which it could help fund the construction of a coker unit that would enable one or more Japanese companies to process heavy crude produced in Alberta's oilsands, the sources said.

Any deal would be unprecedented for Alberta, which has not previously made energy infrastructure investments in foreign countries. But the province is keen to increase its oil exports since last year's opening of the Trans Mountain pipeline ex

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