Japan's Pseudo-Decarbonization Paradigm

Part III of the Three-Part Post on the G7

[This is a much-expanded elaboration of my contribution in the East Asia Forum.]

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Beliefs of nation states become policy. Misguided beliefs become bad policy.

This is what’s happening in Japan’s efforts to decarbonize its energy sector.

Part I of this three-part series summarized the most notable parts of the agreement of the G7 Ministerial Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment that happened in Sapporo, Japan this April. Part II shed light on the disagreements that shaped that agreement.

I admit this exercise was (as one of my grad school professors called my course paper) workmanship-like. But it was useful in highlighting at least one broad conclusion: Japan’s approach to the clean energy transition is…what’s the right word? Unique. Eccentric. Recalcitrant.

For the sake of convenience, I’ll call this approach the pseudo-decarbonization paradigm.

Building a nation’s energy future on shaky theoretical grounds is a critical error. Critical not only for the third wealthiest economy in the world, but also for the decarbonization of the Asia-Pacific region for the next several decades.

By now, a slew of questions should have arisen in your mind. What’s the pseudo-decarbonization paradigm? Why is it “pseudo?” Who holds it? How does it affect the broader Asia-Pacific?