IEA Urges Japan to Decarbonise its Energy Supply – IEA welcomes energy market reform and applauds commitment to energy innovation

Japan should balance and diversify its energy mix through a combination of renewable and nuclear energy and efficient thermal power generation, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today in its latest review of Japan’s energy policies, stressing this would help the country build a more secure, affordable, safe and decarbonised energy system. Japan’s energy policy has been dominated in recent years by its efforts to overcome the impact from the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear accident. The accident resulted in the gradual shutdown of all of Japan’s nuclear power plants. This in turn led to a significant rise in fossil fuels use, increased fuel imports and rising carbon dioxide emissions. It also brought electricity prices to unsustainable levels. ….