The need for Japanese leadership in global energy policy: a German perspective

Awaiting Japan’s general election on 16 December 2012, the rest of the world is well-advised to watch closely the outcome of the vote. After the Fukushima catastrophe, many people in Japan are increasingly concerned about the continuation of nuclear power. The alternative would be an ambitious strategy to scale up renewable energy technologies. If this were done, Japan could
change the way we all think about energy. With a Japanese decision to move towards a low-nuclear, high-renewables energy supply, world market prices for renewable energy from solar, geothermal and wind sources would drop sharply, and would make these technologies more affordable. A Japanese leadership role in promoting renewables would therefore contribute to solving a global energy dilemma: to secure a sustainable energy supply for a growing world population.