Japan’s Energy Policy: Current Challenges and Problems

Abstract

The sixth edition of the Strategic (Basic) Energy Plan until 2030 was published in Japan in October 2021. The primary goal remained the same — to maximize energy independence by reducing purchases of primary energy resources and to increasing the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy balance from 18 % to 36 % relative to 2021 levels. However, these steps are not enough even to reduce purchases of oil, coal and natural gas by about 20% in the coming years. Thus, the issue of restarting the majority of existing nuclear power plants and the construction of new power units come to the fore again, since they are providing most stable energy amidst ongoing market turbulence. Japan has made a lot of efforts to revise the nature of its energy policy in order to find an acceptable balance between abandoning nuclear energy and maintaining basic indicators of energy supply reliability, but these efforts have partly led the country into an “energy impasse” when current demands are partially addressed, but the long-term development of the industry remains a big question. This is especially noticeable given the fact that Japan has made significant commitments to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050, which requires a revision of many benchmarks and a rethinking of strategic documents. The search for answers to this question is the main purpose of this article.