Japan reacts and evolves
Japan’s energy economy is pulsating – under the weight of its past, imprisoned by imports, and a desire to innovate
"The economy struggled after Fukushima. We've had to recalibrate our energy economy entirely." Ken Koyama, managing director and senior economist at Japan's Institute of Energy Economics, is speaking. We're in the Inui building in the Kachidoki region of Tokyo, where government offices dominate the landscape. It's here that the country's ministers had to decide - fast - how to bring energy back on line as disaster struck five years ago. "We had planned blackouts. Given the circumstances, we dealt with it well - but we needed an instantaneous rebuilding process." The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan's Pacific coast on 11 March 2011 changed the country forever, leaving its energy economy
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy






