TOKYO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp 8058.T said on Friday it would take over the U.S. shale production of Aethon Energy Management for $7.53 billion including debt.

The deal would give Mitsubishi a substantial natural gas operation adjacent to the U.S. Gulf coast and the energy export facilities being developed along it.

The upstream assets of Aethon, which primarily focus on the Haynesville shale formation in Louisiana and East Texas, constitute one of the largest privately held U.S. gas producers.

Mitsubishi is a major player in the global liquefied natural gas $(LNG)$ sector, engaging across the full value chain - from upstream production to trading, marketing, and logistics.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi, Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)

((Yuka.Obayashi@thomsonreuters.com; +813-4520-1265;))