Politics of climate change and energy policy in Japan: Is green transformation likely?

Hiroshi Ohta; Brendan F.D. Barrett

Earth System Governance (Aug 2023)

Politics of climate change and energy policy in Japan: Is green transformation likely?

Hiroshi Ohta,
Brendan F.D. Barrett

Affiliations

Hiroshi Ohta: School of International Liberal Studies of Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Political Science and the EAst Asian Institute of Columbia Univerity, NYC, United States; School of International Service, The American University, Washington, D.C., United States; Department of Literature, Jochi (Sophia) University, Tokyo, Japan; The College of Law, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan; School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan; SIPEB, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan; Faculty of Urban Science, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan; Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University, Japan; Corresponding author. School of International Liberal Studies of Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.
Brendan F.D. Barrett: Oxford Brookes University, School of Built Environment, Environmental Planning, United Kingdom; Kyoto University, Graduate School of Engineering, Ministry of Education Scholar, Japan; Heriot-Watt University, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Town and Country Planning, United Kingdom; Osaka University, Center for Global Initiatives, Japan; 360info, Monash University, Australia; RMIT University, School of Media and Communications, Australia; United Nations University, Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, Japan

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 17
p. 100187

Abstract

Read online

While being proud of comparatively high levels of energy efficiency and having experienced the Fukushima nuclear disaster, it may be presumed that Japan would become a leader in the global energy transition. On the contrary, however, Japan has demonstrated a degree of intransigence around deep decarbonization. Why does Japan not take leadership in the energy transition and arrest climate change? What is the context for Japanese climate/energy policymaking? What is the context for the 2050 net-zero target, what are the obstacles, and which actors could assist effectively in accelerating this transition? This article considers new drivers for national policy as well as the influence of exogenous domestic and international forces. This leads to the question of whether the 2050 carbon neutrality policy goal could deliver a rapid shift away from fossil fuels. It presents an analytical framework to explain Japan’s evolving climate-energy nexus, illuminating core variables hampering and enabling the attainment of the net-zero 2050 target.

Published in Earth System Governance

ISSN: 2589-8116 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Law: Law in general. Comparative and uniform law. Jurisprudence: Comparative law. International uniform law: Environmental law; Political science
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/earth-system-governance

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords