Japan's Energy Policy Research Articles

Beyond taxation: Discourse around energy policy in Japan

Energy policy literature tends to emphasise the impact of taxation on energy preference. However, the present case concerning extremely low acceptance of diesel cars in Japan could not be explained by taxation. As a possible factor, the paper sheds light upon discourse around the energy policy. The policy aimed to characterise diesel technology as emitting particulate matter and nitrogen oxide (NOx). The paper contributes to extending the existing understanding of the role of public policy by embracing the linguistic interactions complemented by visualisation.

Risk Perceptions of Resuming Nuclear Power Plant Operations After Fukushima: A Student Survey

Quake-induced accident of Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011 triggered heated argument about the country’s energy policy in Japan. Although many people recognized the risk of nuclear energy use, they did not necessarily support the option of abandoning the technology for the near future. This paper focuses on how people perceive risks associated with and without nuclear power generation and how perceived risks affect their opinion. We conducted questionnaire survey targeting 18–20 year old university students, the stakeholders in the future. The survey was implemented in 2013–2014 when none of Japan’s nuclear power plants was in active use. Three quarters of the respondents answered that a future with nuclear power generation was more realistic than without it. The aspects dividing the two groups, i.e., respondents who expect a future with or without nuclear energy use were their evaluations of three themes: (1) the feasibility of renewable energy sources, (2) the impacts in the safety of developing nations’ nuclear power generation, and (3) the difficulty in gaining the acceptance of residents near the power plants. Meanwhile, both groups above were similarly positive about technological innovation, and were similarly and strongly negative about developing safety management.

후쿠시마 원전사고 종적사례연구를 통한 원전에너지 안전성 고찰

Nuclear energy is considerably cheap and clean compared to other fossil fuels. Yet, there are rising safety concerns of nuclear power plants including the possibility of radiation releasing nuclear accidents. In light of the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011, Japan has been re-evaluating their existing energy policies and increasing the share of alternative energy. This paper first tracks the major historical changes of energy policy in Japan by time period. Next, energy security, reignited concerns and alternative energy are covered to examine Japan's energy security situation and its transition after the Fukushima disaster. Lastly, a short survey based on thematic analysis was conducted in South Korea and Japan to understand the public awareness of nuclear. This paper postulates that the case of Fukushima will contribute to establish and operate a safe-future nuclear program in South Korea, given that the country is not only geographically neighbouring Japan but also the world's fourth largest producer of nuclear energy.

What was the "discrepancy" in Japan’s energy policy after Fukushima nuclear crisis?

After the Fukushima nuclear crisis following the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, it is not correct to say that Japan decided to change energy policy dramatically from a fuel mix heavily reliant on nuclear power to one involving growing use of renewable power. Nor is it correct to say that Japan intends to expand renewable energy to such an extent that it becomes Japan's primary energy source. Japan has been facing two problems. The first is the destabilization of the energy market caused by the Fukushima nuclear power crisis and electricity market reform. The other is the destabilization of energy policy caused by the between people's perception of electricity market reform in Japan and the structure of Japan's energy sector. The means that the Japanese government has had an overly optimistic view on the crisis, believing that the rise in energy prices and energy market reform or supply shock were not serious problems for people's lives, and that the public could handle these problems. In addition, this discrepancy arose as a consequence of Japan's incomplete energy market liberalization which began in the 1980s, and also due to political factors under the administration of the Democratic Party of Japan. Currently, Japan's energy policy is discussed more logically and calmly because this has been progressively eliminated. In fact, the Sendai nuclear power plant-owned by Kyushu Electric Power Co. restarted operation on August 11th 2015.

Short- and long-range energy strategies for Japan and the world after the Fukushima nuclear accident

The accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station in 2011 has caused profound effects on energy policies in Japan and worldwide. This is particularly because it occurred at the time of the growing awareness of global warming forcing measures towards decarbonised energy production, namely the use of fossil fuels has to be drastically reduced from the present level of more than 80% by 2050. A dilemma has now emerged because nuclear power, a CO2-free technology with proven large-scale energy production capability, lost confidence in many societies, especially in Japan and Germany. As a consequence, there is a world-wide effort now to expand renewable energies (REs), specifically photo-voltaic (PV) and wind power. However, the authors conjecture that PV and wind power can provide only up to a 40% share of the electricity production as long as sufficient storage is not available. Beyond this level, the technological (high grid power) and economic problems (large surplus production) grow. This is the result of the analysis of the growing use of REs in the electricity systems for Germany and Japan. The key element to overcome this situation is to develop suitable energy storage technologies. This is particularly necessary when electricity will become the main energy source because also transportation, process heat and heating, will be supplied by it. Facing the difficulty in replacing all fossil fuels in all countries with different technology standards, a rapid development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) might also be necessary. Therefore, for the short-range strategy up to 2050, all meaningful options have to be developed. For the long-range strategy beyond 2050, new energy sources (such as thermonuclear fusion, solar fuels and nuclear power—if inherently safe concepts will gain credibility of societies again), and large-scale energy storage systems based on novel concepts (such as large-capacity batteries and hydrogen) is required. It is acknowledged that the prediction of the future is difficult; therefore, the only insurance in this situation is by intensified research into all viable options.

Ulrich Beck and Japan

Looking back, the process in which Ulrich Beck’s epoch-making work of Risikogesellschaft was introduced and translated into Japanese attracted great public interest there. This paper revisits the significance of the concept ‘risk society’ in the context of postwar Japan. Facing both the natural and artificial disasters caused by the huge earthquake in Fukushima in 2011, Japanese society was compelled to reconsider its atomic energy policy implemented after the end of the Second World War. While the general public has strongly embraced an anti-nuclear sentiment after witnessing the 3/11 disasters, the government and leading LDP are still eager to restart the atomic plants that have been suspended since the tragedy in Fukushima. Considering those complicated sociopolitical conditions concerning the legitimacy of the atomic energy policy in Japan, Risikogesellschaft redux might be a useful way through which we can envisage a future direction to take.

Energy situations in Japan before and after the Fukushima nuclear accident

This article describes the various effects on the public conception on nuclear energy and more generally on energy policies in Japan due to the nuclear accident that occurred on 11th March 2011 at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station, which is owned and operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). Before the accident, nuclear energy had been conceived as the main energy source of electricity in Japan for reducing CO2 emission beyond 2020. However, public opinion has turned almost completely against nuclear energy after observing how vulnerable the nuclear system had been. The present Japanese government is now trying to buy time before taking a decision. After explaining these circumstances, the author tries to chart his personal projection of energy sources for Japan to 2050.

日本のエネルギー政策と水素エネルギーの展望

日本のエネルギー政策と水素エネルギーの展望

Opportunities and Challenges of Allocation of Alternative Energy Resources in Japan

In the case of Japan, which lacks any significant fossil fuel reserves (Gasparatos & Gadda, 2009, pp. 4038-4048) some alternative forms of energy production have been implemented. Japan has implemented alternative energy options such as nuclear power, photovoltaic power, hydroelectric power, and other various energy alternatives and renewable resources. These alternatives have the potential to lessen climate change. Japan is becoming an example of the economic and environmental outcomes associated with alternative energy sources. Following the Fukushima disaster, the Japanese government addressed the possibility of removing nuclear power from the energy mix entirely by 2040 (Hong et al., 2013, pp. 418-424). In May of 2012, a governmental advisory board announced its plans to replace nuclear power with a combination of renewable sources and imported fossil fuels by 2030 (Hong et al., pp. 2013, 418-424). Japan intends to supply ten percent of the country’s primary energy using renewable resources by 2020, under the Strategic Energy Plan of Japan (Japan Energy Report, 2013, pp. 1-31). As reported by the Japan Forum on International Relations in 2006, increased energy demands in Asia, accompanied with pressure to reduce carbon emissions, has created uncertainty surrounding Japan’s energy security since it has a large reliance on imported fossil fuels (Nasu & Faunce, 2013, pp. 68-74). The major goals of energy policy in Japan are energy security, economic development and environmental sustainability. To reach these goals, feed-in tariffs were approved by the Japanese government in the summer of 2012, in order to incentivize the use of renewable resources, especially photovoltaic power, and accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies (Frishberg, 2013, pp. 5-6). Since implementing these tariffs, Japan’s supply of solar generated power has grown by forty percent (Frishberg, 2013, pp. 5-6). There are many criteria that need to be met for efficient and useable sustainable energy technologies, such as accessibility to remote locales, user friendliness, adaptability to local conditions, efficiency and reliability (Balachandra et al., 2010, pp. 1842-1851). This criterion can be difficult to attain for large, growing populations.

On the Way to a Sustainable Energy Policy in Japan and South Korea

Abstract The aim of this paper is to examine the sustainability of Japan’s and South Korea’s energy policies. For the analysis, categories framed by Holgar Rogall for identifying a sustainable energy policy were used. Using official data from the UN and government authorities of both countries as well as secondary literature, a comparison of international goals and legal norms and an analysis of developments in energy policy since 1990 were conducted. Their results show that Japan and South Korea pursue quite different energy policies. In more than half of the criteria, Japan can be seen as having a sustainable energy policy. The country still has to improve its use of energy sources, as it is too dependent on fossil fuels and thus needs to accelerate the development of renewable energies. South Korea’s energy policy, however, cannot yet be classified as sustainable. The government still rejects international commitments regarding climate change, a conclusion that is reflected in development since 1990: greenhouse gases rising at a high speed, coupled with low energy efficiency and dependence on fossil fuels. Despite sharing the same basic conditions, the energy policies of Japan and South Korea differ fundamentally.

Case analysis of utilizing alternative energy sources and technologies for the single family detached house

The new energy policy in Japan is implemented by renewable energy resources which are given a large slice of the total for their contribution to energy sources. In addition, there is a government plan to minimize, if not to eliminate nuclear power sources. Building sector energy consumption is increasing every year, hence, utilization and development of alternative energy sources and technologies to support the requirements of every house are important. Numerical performance evaluation of the alternative energy and technologies supported single family detached house was conducted in a transient system simulation (TRNSYS) program to evaluate its performance and energy requirements, and to test the cases for a possible upgrade to an energy generating house. The evaluation of the house performance is compared for possible application to the situation in different areas of Japan. 82.6% of the total primary energy supply could be supported by renewable energy sources – solar energy and biomass fueled auxiliary heater. 69.7% of the consumed energy is electricity; grid line electricity is still needed in the present installed photovoltaic roof tiles of the house. Solar energy collection can support up to 26% of the primary thermal energy requirement of the single family detached house. The remaining 70% should be supported by the back-up water heater of which fuel can be sourced from different sources such as biomass, kerosene, etc. In general, making a house yield higher thermal performance by employing energy conservation measures (ECM) coupled with the utilization of different alternative energy sources readily available in the house’s vicinity has an impact on the reduction of the house’s energy consumption. In addition, application of new technologies which could be supported by different energy sources has an impact on the diverse utilization of the available energy sources in the house’s vicinity.

Policy Images, Issue Frames, and Technical Realities: Contrasting Views of Japan's Energy Policy Development

Policy Images, Issue Frames, and Technical Realities: Contrasting Views of Japan's Energy Policy Development

Big Bang in Japan's energy policy

Japan is at the crossroads of a major energy policy change after the Fukushima Daiichi accident. Only two nuclear reactors are operating and there is a persisting risk of an Iranian oil crisis. A new nuclear regulatory commission will be established to review all the safety regulations. Japan is paying billions of dollars for additional oil and natural gas for its power sector. Renewable feed in tariffs are implemented. High electricity costs may likely disturb industrial activities and citizens life in Japan. Power market reforms are imminent while TEPCO is nationalized. Russia wishes to sell electricity to Japan through a new grid interconnection. A post-Fukushima Energy Big bang is certainly in the making in Japan – but the choosing the right energy transition strategy will help to get lasting solutions in place.

After Fukushima: An Introduction

Asian Perspective 37 (2013), 473-474 After Fukushima: An Introduction Norifumi Namatame The nuclear disasters at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on March 11, 2011, startled people in Japan and throughout the world. The consequences of the massive earthquake and tsunami apparently went far beyond the assumptions that the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) had made before that day. Their responses to the nuclear accidents were tardy, insufficient, and confused. Nearly three years have passed, but the problems at Fukushima Daiichi are still far from resolved. The leaking of nuclear materials from the power plant continues, the cost of decommissioning of the reactors is enormous and mounting, and the people who were forced to evacuate from the heavily contam­ inated area still live in fear and despair. Furthermore, the Japanese people in general do not know exactly where to find safe places to live, safe foods they can eat, and information they can really trust. From May 10 to 12, 2012, Australian National University (ANU) and Tohoku Fukushi University (TFU) cohosted a work­ shop in Sendai, Japan, called Nuclear Disaster Response: The Need to Know. Scholars in various fields were invited from Japan, the United States, Australia, and Taiwan. For the first two days in closed sessions, and then in a public forum, we had intensive debates on what kind of information the people in Fukushima and Japan generally should be given about nuclear power and a nuclear disaster. This special issue represents the arguments that were offered in Sendai, reinforced by additional authors whose contributions were invited subsequently, in order to respond to “the need to know” and fulfill requirements stemming from “the right to know.” Richard Tanter examines the issue of corruption in the nuclear power industry, arguing that it is not a problem peculiar to Japan. Jeff Kingston extends Tanter’s argument by detailing the pemi473 474 After Fukushima: An Introduction cious influence of the so-called nuclear village in Japan, which embraces TEPCO, powerful politicians, and members of the media and academia. Tilman A. Ruff provides a deeply informed perspective on public health, scrutinizing the long-term and short­ term risks of exposure to low-dose radiation. Drawing on many years of study of the Chernobyl disaster’s biological impact, Anders Pape Mpller and Timothy A. Mousseau make comparisons with what has happened to birds and other animals in the contam­ inated areas around Fukushima. Shoko Yoneyama offers a sociological analysis of the nuclear disaster, comparing it with the case of Minamata disease, one of the most tragic pollution incidents in Japanese history. Kawasaki Akira explores the future of energy policy in Japan from the point of view of civil society. Finally, Michael Edwards analyzes the psychological effects of the accident through several interviews with victims. This project received support from many scholars and volun­ teer graduate students. I would like to express special thanks to Koki Hagino, president of TFU, for cohosting the workshop; Peter Van Ness of ANU for organizing it; Mel Gurtov of Portland State University for supporting publication of the results; and Mark Selden, coordinator of japanfocus.org, for allowing us to publish revised versions of two articles that appeared there earlier. This study was also supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology-Japan (MEXT) Program for the Strategic Research Foundation at Private Universities, provided to the Kansei Fukushi Research Institute of Tohoku Fukushi Univer­ sity (2012-2016). Note Norifumi Namatame is associate professor at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, Japan. He was visiting fellow at the Australian National University from May 2011 to January 2012. He has published articles on Japan’s mis­ sile defense programs and on realist and pacifist approaches to Japan’s post­ war security policy and national identity. He can be reached at namatame @tfu-mail.tfu.ac.jp. ...

Economic and environmental analysis of power generation expansion in Japan considering Fukushima nuclear accident using a multi-objective optimization model

Nuclear power has long been a cornerstone of energy policy in Japan, a country with few natural resources of its own. However, following on from the Fukushima Daiichi accident, the Japanese government is now in the throes of reviewing its nuclear power policy. On the other hand, under continuing policies of greenhouse gas reduction, it is crucial to consider scenarios for the country to realize an economic, safe and low-carbon power generation system in the future. Therefore, in the present study, economic and environmental analysis was conducted on the power generation system in Japan up to 2030 using a multi-objective optimization methodology. Four nuclear power scenarios were proposed in light of the nuclear accident: (1) actively anti-nuclear; (2) passively negative towards nuclear; (3) conservative towards nuclear; and (4) active expansion of nuclear power. The obtained capacity mix, generation mix, generation cost, CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of the scenarios were compared and analysed. The obtained results show that the large scale penetration of PV (photovoltaic), wind and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) power can partly replace nuclear power, however, removing nuclear power entirely was not suggested from economic, environmental and energy security perspectives.

Climate Converts: Institutional Redeployment, Industrial Policy, and Public Investment in Energy in Japan

A large literature in political economy argues that governments in the advanced industrialized states retrenched from the application of industrial policy while resisting pressure to reform in a limited number of sectors. In this article, I argue that retrenchment and resistance do not fully describe the range of choices made by governments. Through an analysis of investment in energy policy in Japan, I show that in addition to retrenching from industrial policies and resisting pressure to reduce industrial targeting, domestic actors have retained and redeployed state functions in public policy areas unaffected by the causes of liberalization.

The Trends of Japanese Electric Utility Industry under Kyoto Protocol after 311 Earthquake

The devastating March 11, 2011 Earthquake (311 Earthquake) in northeast coast of Japan does not only result in a massive destruction to infrastructure, it also created power supply outage throughout the nation. Huge losses in nuclear power capacity and increasing awareness to nuclear safety have begun to cause changes in power system structure and energy policy in Japan. In this paper, we began by analysing the change of electricity generation before and after the 311 Earthquake. From the analysis, the electricity generation, Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission generation and CO2 intensity of Japanese electric utility industry in fiscal 2011 were calculated. These calculations have included the impact of the 311 earthquake. The result of the calculation has shown that by including the impact of the 311 Earthquake, 803.4 billion kWh of electricity with 371.15 million metric tons of GHG emission will be generated. The CO2 intensity of Japanese electricity generation will also increase from 0.417 kg-C02/kWh to 0.462 kg-C02/kWh in fiscal 2011. In another word, if the Japanese electric utility industry would like to achieve the emission reduction target under Kyoto Protocol even after taking the 311 Earthquake into consideration, it would need to further reduce about 114.06 million metric tons of GHG emission.

The Development Path of Japanese Green Architecture under Energy Policy--Taking Misawa Home as an Example

The early study on green architecture had the problem of “high input, low output”, and China is facing the same problem in the development of green architecture. To plumbing the depths of energy-saving architecture, China needs a complete set of industrial policy that is attractive to the industry, schools and research institutes. This paper analyzes the evolving energy policy in Japan, how it utilized a series of regulatory and policy measures, such as law, economic and financial policies, subsidy system and evaluation system, to effectively intervene and promote the gradual development of green architecture, and takes Misawa Home as an example to show the development path of green home in Japan, with the view of providing reference in policy and direction for the sustainable development of green architecture in China.

The Theory of Administrative Responsibility in Policy Process: The Concept of Professional Accountability and the Case of Nuclear Energy Policy in Japan

The Theory of Administrative Responsibility in Policy Process: The Concept of Professional Accountability and the Case of Nuclear Energy Policy in Japan

Japan faces post-Fukushima power struggle

On the morning of 11 March 2011, Japan's cabinet forwarded a bill to parliament (known as the Diet) that would modestly expand support for renewable energy. A few hours later, an earthquake struck northeastern Japan. The tsunami and nuclear crisis it unleashed transformed that noncontroversial piece of legislation into a vanguard of efforts to radically redraw Japan's energy policy.