Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T14:10:10.523Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

15 - The Politics of Energy and Climate Change in Japan under the Abe Government

from Part IV - Third Arrow of Abenomics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2021

By
Trevor Incerti  and
Phillip Y. Lipscy
Edited by
Takeo Hoshi  and
Phillip Y. Lipscy
Takeo Hoshi
Affiliation:
University of Tokyo
Phillip Y. Lipscy
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Get access

Summary

The March 11, 2011, Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami led to a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, leading many observers to predict a major transformation of Japanese energy policy. However, since the 2012 election of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan has restarted its nuclear reactors, weakened subsidies for renewable energy, and submitted emissions reduction goals under the Paris Agreement widely criticized as insufficient and reliant on accounting gimmicks. Under what we call Abenergynomics, Abe used energy policy as a tool to support the economic growth objectives of Abenomics, even when the associated policies were publicly unpopular, opposed by utility companies, or harmful to the environment. We show how Abenergynomics shaped Japanese policy toward nuclear power, electricity deregulation, renewable energy, and global climate change negotiations.

Keywords

JapanShinzo Abeenergyclimate changenuclearAbenomics
Type
Chapter
Information
The Political Economy of the Abe Government and Abenomics Reforms , pp. 445 - 476
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aldrich, Daniel, Lipscy, Phillip Y., and McCarthy, Mary M.. 2019. “Japan’s opportunity to lead.” Nature Climate Change 9: 492.Google Scholar
Burck, Jan, Marten, Franziska, Bals, Christoph, Höhne, Niklas, Frisch, Carolin, Clement, Niklas, and Szu-Chi, Kao. 2017. The Climate Change Performance Index 2018. Germany: GermanWatch.Google Scholar
Burck, Jan, Hagen, Ursula, Höhne, Niklas, Nascimento, Leonardo, and Bals, Christoph. 2019. The Climate Change Performance Index 2020. Germany: GermanWatch.Google Scholar
Calder, Kent E. 2017. Circles of Compensation: Economic Growth and the Globalization of Japan. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Calder, Kent E. 1991. Crisis and Compensation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Carey, John M., and Shugart, Matthew Soberg. 1995. “Incentives to Cultivate a Personal Vote: A Rank Ordering of Electoral Formulas.” Electoral Studies 14(4): 417–439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carl, Jeremy, and Fedor, David. 2016. “Tracking Global Carbon Revenues: A Survey of Carbon Taxes Versus Cap-and-Trade in the Real World.” Energy Policy 96: 50–77.Google Scholar
Estevez-Abe, Margarita. 2008. Welfare Capitalism in Postwar Japan: Party, Bureaucracy, and Business. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Ferguson, Charles D., and Jansson, Mark. 2013. “Regulating Japanese Nuclear Power in the Wake of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident.” Federation of American Scientists Issues Briefs.Google Scholar
Hughes, Llewelyn. 2018. “Japan’s Radical Incrementalism in Power Market Regulation and Renewable Energy.” In Japan’s Energy Conundrum: A Discussion of Japan’s Energy Circumstances and U.S.–Japan Energy Relations, edited by Yoshida, Phyllis, pp.59–67. Washington, DC: Sasakawa Peace Foundation.Google Scholar
Incerti, Trevor, and Lipscy, Phillip Y.. 2018. “The Politics of Energy and Climate Change in Japan under Abe: Abenergynomics.” Asian Survey 58(4): 607–634.Google Scholar
Incerti, Trevor, and Lipscy, Phillip Y.. 2020. “The Politics of Energy in Japan.” In The Oxford Handbook of Energy Politics, edited by Hancock, Kathleen J. and Allison, Juliann Emmons. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
International Energy Agency. 2017. Global Ev Outlook. Paris: International Energy Agency.Google Scholar
Kameyama, Yasuko. 2016. Climate Change Policy in Japan: From the 1980s to 2015. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kingston, Jeff. 2012. “Japan’s Nuclear Village.” Asia-Pacific Journal 10(37).Google Scholar
Kingston, Jeff. 2013. “Japan’s Nuclear Village.” In Critical Issues in Contemporary Japan, edited by Kingston, Jeff. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Kushida, Kenji E. 2014. “The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster and the Democratic Party of Japan.” Japanese Political Economy 40(1): 29–68.Google Scholar
Kushida, Kenji E., and Lipscy, Phillip Y.. 2013. Japan under the DPJ: The Politics of Transition and Governance. Stanford, CA: Brookings Institution/Shorenstein APARC.Google Scholar
Lipscy, Phillip Y. 2012. “A Casualty of Political Transformation? The Politics of Japanese Energy Efficiency in the Transportation Sector.” Journal of East Asian Studies 12(3): 409–439.Google Scholar
Lipscy, Phillip Y. 2019. “The Institutional Politics of Energy and Climate Change.” Book Manuscript. Stanford University.Google Scholar
Lipscy, Phillip Y. 2020. “Reformist Status Quo Power: Japan’s Approach toward International Organizations.” In The Crisis of Liberal Internationalism: Japan and the World Order, edited by Funabashi, Yoichi and Ikenberry, G. John. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.Google Scholar
Lipscy, Phillip Y., Kushida, Kenji E., and Incerti, Trevor. 2013. “The Fukushima Disaster and Japan’s Nuclear Plant Vulnerability in Comparative Perspective.” Environmental Science & Technology 47(12): 6082–6088.Google Scholar
Lipscy, Phillip Y., Kushida, Kenji E., and Incerti, Trevor. 2016. “Were Japan’s Nuclear Plants Uniquely Vulnerable?” In Learning from a Disaster: Improving Nuclear Safety and Security After Fukushima, edited by Blandford, Edward D. and Sagan, Scott D., pp.157–182. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Lipscy, Phillip Y., and Scheiner, Ethan. 2012. “Japan under the DPJ: The Paradox of Political Change without Policy Change.” Journal of East Asian Studies 12(3): 311–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lipscy, Phillip Y., and Schipper, Lee. 2013. “Energy Efficiency in the Japanese Transport Sector.” Energy Policy 56: 248–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McElwain, Kenneth Mori. 2012. “The Nationalization of Japanese Elections.” Journal of East Asian Studies 12(3): 323–350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakajima, Daiki. 2016. “Japan’s Energy Market Reform: Full Retail Choice in Electricity Market.” Presentation slides. New York: JETRO New York. www.jetro.go.jp/ext_images/canada/pdf/powermktseminar070416keynote.pdf.Google Scholar
Naoi, Megumi. 2015. Building Legislative Coalitions for Globalization in Asia: Globalization as Legislation. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Robiou du Pont, Yann, Jeffery, M. Louise, Gütschow, Johannes, Rogelj, Joeri, Christoff, Peter, and Meinshausen, Malte. 2016. “Equitable Mitigation to Achieve the Paris Agreement Goals.” Nature Climate Change 7: 38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenbluth, Frances McCall, and Thies, Michael F.. 2010. Japan Transformed: Political Change and Economic Restructuring. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Scheiner, Ethan. 2006. Democracy without Competition in Japan: Opposition Failure in a One-Party Dominant State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Shishlov, Igor, Morel, Romain, and Bellassen, Valentin. 2016. “Compliance of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol in the First Commitment Period.” Climate Policy 16(6): 768–782.Google Scholar
Solis, Mireya. 2020. “Follower No More? Japan’s Leadership Role as a Champion of the Liberal Trading Order.” In The Crisis of Liberal Internationalism: Japan and the World Order, edited by Funabashi, Yoichi and Ikenberry, G. John. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.Google Scholar
Takao, Yasuo. 2016. Japan’s Environmental Politics and Governance : From Trading Nation to Eco Nation.Google Scholar
Victor, David G., Akimoto, Keigo, Kaya, Yoichi, Yamaguchi, Mitsutsune, Cullenward, Danny, and Hepburn, Cameron. 2017. “Prove Paris Was More Than Paper Promises.” Nature 548: 25–27.Google Scholar
Vivoda, Vlado. 2012. “Japan’s Energy Security Predicament Post-Fukushima.” Energy Policy 46: 135–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, Nan, and Mogi, Gento. 2017. “Deregulation, Market Competition, and Innovation of Utilities: Evidence from Japanese Electric Sector.” Energy Policy 111: 403–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wittneben, Bettina B. F. 2012. “The Impact of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident on European Energy Policy.” Environmental Science & Policy 15(1): 1–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×