Perhaps unsurprisingly for a country known for its automakers, shipbuilders, and heavy industry conglomerates, steel production is one of the most important industries in Japan. What might be more surprising, though, is that when examined closely, Japan’s steel industry presents an interesting lens through which to view the country’s electric power industry. It does so …
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With US oil prices having gone negative for the first time in history this past Monday, it’s doubtful that there’s anyone left who hasn’t noticed the impact that COVID-19 is having on global energy markets. Such attention-grabbing headlines should not, however, distract us from the multitude of other ways that the pandemic is affecting energy …
Continue reading “COVID-19 Exposes Vulnerabilities in Japan’s Electricity Generation”
Last month marked half a century since the first light-water nuclear reactor entered into service in Japan. Since then, nuclear power in Japan has gone through major ups and downs, from growing in popularity in the 1970s all the way to existential concerns about the future of Japanese electricity generation in the post-Fukushima era. In …
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On March 24, 2020, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach officially announced the postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 to next year. With the postponement pushing the Games into the background, the actual state of the coronavirus outbreak here in Japan has started to dominate the …
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In today’s post, we will discuss perhaps the biggest driver of the direction of Japan’s energy industry—the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)—and why it’s so important to keep an eye on what it is up to. The Dual Role of METI METI is the home of the policy planning divisions and regulatory agencies …
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Historic factors and the fact that Japan is an archipelago consisting of four main islands and hundreds of smaller ones have contributed to what has become an unusual power grid considerably different from other developed countries. Not only is the country’s grid divided into ten physically separate zones, but it’s also divided into two areas …
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With an imperial transition from Emperor Akihito to Emperor Naruhito, preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics being fully underway, and a number of violent typhoons hitting the country, 2019 has been a busy year for Japan overall. Causing long-lasting power outages, it is the last of those – combined with several important changes in the …
