The German Energiewende and the Energy Transition Politics in Japan: A Case Study

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26380189
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Politics
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: Tsubogo Minoru 早稲田大学, 社会科学総合学術院, 教授 (20118061)
• Research Collaborator: HAYASHI Kazutaka ; ITO Hisao ; MIYAZAKI Toru ; KOBAYASHI Kouji ; MIURA Kazuhiro
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 再生可能エネルギー / 市民社会 / エネルギー政策 / 自治体 / 脱原発 / 政権政策 / 協同組合 / ドイツ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The German model of energy transition rests on two pillars: On the one hand, federal government policies advance the discontinuation of nuclear power and promote the usage of renewable energies. On the other hand, civic engagement groups and local self-governing bodies are taking the initiative in the development of small-scale and local energy supply systems. The German energy transition continues to proceed successfully. In Japan, in contrast, there are no clearly articulated government policies to promote energy transition. Yet efforts to establish citizen-funded local clean energy providers and municipalities’ initiatives to create decentralized energy supply systems appear to gain traction nationwide. Consensus building and the cooperation of a broad range of actors are of critical importance for the development of new energy supply systems. Institutional changes will be unavoidable in order to establish renewable energies as a major source of energy in Japan.

Free Research Field

比較政治