18 - THE JAPANESE ENERGY SITUATION

Abstract

This chapter highlights various scenarios involving Japanese energy situation. The slowdown in the rate of growth of the Japanese economy after the year 1973 oil price increases was relatively sharper than the United States or Western Europe. One of the significant features of the Japanese performance was that the use of primary energy per unit of GNP declined remarkably between 1973 and 1979. The indigenous energy resources of Japan are negligible. The resources of hydropower and coal have been no more than sufficient to maintain levels of indigenous production during recent years. It is expected that in the absence of adequate indigenous sources of energy, Japan will remain heavily dependent on oil, gas, and coal imports to satisfy growing energy demands. Japan is also actively involved in research and development of nonconventional energy resources, such as fast-breeder nuclear reactors, nuclear fusion, solar energy, geothermal energy, liquefaction of coal, utilization of organic waste, and oceanic energy. In the cooperation scenario, the share of oil is further projected to decline to 45% of the Japanese energy consumption by 1990.