Last month, NBR convened a roundtable discussion with Mikkal Herberg (NBR), Edward Lincoln (George Washington University), and Michael Wallace (Center for Strategic and International Studies) that explored Japan's energy policies. A summary and a link to the roundtable discussion are below.

"Japan's Energy Security: Outlook and Implications" - NBR Roundtable Discussion

Link: http://m.nbr.org/zmbQAB

SUMMARY

As the one year anniversary of the Fukushima disaster approaches, Japan must address significant obstacles for meeting energy demand. Today only
3 of the country's 54 nuclear reactors are in operation and the road ahead for the country's nuclear industry is unclear. The sweeping shift in Japan's energy outlook brings with it a breadth of new challenges, with broad implications for energy security, the economy, and climate policy goals.

As part of its ongoing Energy Security Program, NBR gathered three senior energy and economic experts--Mikkal Herberg, Research Director of Energy Security Program and Adviser to the Pacific Energy Summit, The National Bureau of Asian Research; Edward Lincoln, Professor of East Asian economies, George Washington University; and Michael Wallace, Senior Adviser for the U.S. Nuclear Energy Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies-for an intimate and informed discussion.

Together with key industry leaders, policymakers, government representatives, and energy analysts, they examined the salient questions that surround Japan's new energy outlook:

- What is the current state of the nuclear energy sector in the United States and Japan, how are they similar, and what is the likely future scenario?

- What is the status of nuclear development throughout Asia, and how might it affect Japan and the geopolitical balance of power?

- How will Japan fulfill its energy demand?

- Will the shift in Japan's energy mix toward imported fossil fuel, of which demand and cost premium exceed that of nuclear energy, impact the country's economic performance?

- What important lessons does the Fukushima disaster offer? Are there any opportunities to be realized, and if so, how?

Read the full roundtable discussion:
http://m.nbr.org/zmbQAB

Tracy Timmons-Gray
The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) Seattle, WA