International Journal Sustainable Future for Human Security J-SustaiN Vol. 4 No. 1 (2016) 2-10 http://www.j-sustain.com ENERGY ENVIRONMENT Energy Security and Sustainability in Japan Jeffrey Kucharski a* , Hironobu Unesaki b a Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan b Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan Received: December 03, 2016/ Accepted: June 01, 2016 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to review Japanǯs energy security and sustainability (i.e.: climate change) policy targets during the 2000-2013 period, to evaluate whether the country was successful in meeting these targets, and to assess the extent to which it was able to balance energy security and sustainability goals. This paper thus aims to fill a gap in the literature with respect to knowledge about the effectiveness of energy and sustainability policymaking in Japan. Our results show that in the 2000-2010 period, Japan pursued both energy security and climate change policies simultaneously and the countryǯs energy and climate policies reflected an integrated approach, with mixed results. While Japan did make progress in improving its energy security situation and did manage to achieve its Kyoto commitments, the achievement of some policy targets fell short of expectations. Sustainability performance after the Fukushima accident was more negatively impacted than would have been the case had there been a greater share of other (non-nuclear) low- carbon sources in the electricity generation mix. We also show that in the wake of the Fukushima disaster and the subsequent shutdown of nuclear power capacity, sustainability issues were overshadowed as Japanǯs priorities turned toward dealing with disaster recovery, energy security and economic issues. Four years after Fukushima, policy trends indicate that a restoration of the balanced approach to energy security and sustainability issues is underway as Japan recommits to global climate change targets, announces new sustainability initiatives and initiates nuclear power plant restarts. Keywords: Energy security; sustainability; energy policy 1 Corresponding Author Tel.: +81-80-4227-2597 E-mail: kucharski.jeffrey.52w@kyoto-u.jp Abbreviations: GHG : Green House Gasses GDP : Gross Domestic Product UNFCC : United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1. Introduction Energy security and sustainability policies have developed in different research streams and tend to be treated separately even though the two policy areas are intimately related and increasingly co-dependent [1]. The climate change/sustainability literature has tended to ignore energy security issues in low-carbon scenarios [2], and greater attention to the trade-offs and synergies between energy security and climate change mitigation policies has been called for [3]. For policymakers, energy security is often considered a near-term, national issue, whereas climate change is viewed as a global, long-term problem [4]. Given the increasing importance of achieving both sustainability and energy security goals simultaneously over the long- term, integrated approaches that assess the interactions between both concepts are necessary [1]. This study reviews Japanǯs long-term energy security and sustainability (i.e.: climate change) policy targets and goals. As a country with few non-renewable natural resources, Japan is highly reliant on imports of fossil fuels to power its economy. As a result, energy security issues occupied a prominent place in Japanǯs policy priorities. Sustainability policy also rose to prominence in the period after Japan acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in December 1997. In order to meet Japanǯs climate targets within the first commitment period (2008-2012) major changes in Japanese energy policy were implemented in the lead-up to the agreement coming into force. Despite the obvious linkage between energy security and sustainability policies, there are a limited number of studies in the literature that take an integrated approach to their assessment [4]. Very few studies have examined the effectiveness of Japanǯs approach to energy security and sustainability over a longer time frame. The purpose of this paper is therefore to review Japanese long-term energy security and sustainability policy targets in the 2000-2013 period and to assess how effective government policies were in achieving these targets, including the extent to which they promoted a balanced and integrated approach to the enhancement of long-term energy security and sustainability.