- SeriesJapan Data
- Changes in Japan’s Energy Sources
- Japan’s Energy Situation (1)
Japan’s energy policies are being revised in the wake of the massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami that struck the northeast of the country and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Nuclear power is currently second only to thermal power as Japan’s main source of electricity, but that is expected to change in the future. Here we take a look at data indicating changes in Japan’s electrical power supply over the past 60 years.
Source: 2010 Annual Energy Report, issued by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy
In Japan, since the 1970s, electricity was primarily generated by thermal power plants using such energy sources as coal, liquefied natural gas, and petroleum. The nation later shifted to more reliance on nuclear power, in response to soaring fuel costs and other factors, but the recent Fukushima nuclear disaster has generated renewed interest in thermal power.
There is at the same time a growing awareness across Japan of the need to conserve energy. Businesses and consumers are cutting down on the use of electrical devices, and various measures have been adopted to reduce energy use, including the rescheduling of workdays at manufacturing plants from weekdays to the weekend. People are also becoming more interested in wind power, solar energy, and other new energy sources, which currently account for around 1% of Japan’s total power supply.
Also in this series
・Japan’s 2012 Budget
・The Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster: Latest Figures
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