(Corrects to show that Japan, not JERA, hired Wood Mackenzie to assess Alaska LNG project in paragraph 10) By Shariq Khan and David French NEW YORK : Japan's top power generator JERA is in advanced talks to buy natural gas production assets in the U.S. for around $1.7 billion, people familiar with the matter said, the latest example of the Asian nation investing in America's energy sector. JERA emerged as the top bidder for the assets owned by GEP Haynesville II, a joint venture between