Restructuring the Electricity Sector in Japan: Will it Enhance Energy Security?

In the wake of the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the Japanese government has sought a new energy policy that decreases reliance on nuclear power while providing secure, affordable electric power and maintaining its economic competitiveness. A proposed bill to reform the domestic electricity market would deregulate the power sector and unbundle generation from transmission and distribution services.

On March 13, the Energy Security Initiative (ESI) at Brookings hosted a discussion on the restructuring of the electricity sector in Japan and comparing it to the experience of deregulation in the United States. Panelists discussed how increasing oil and gas costs affect competition in various markets and the degree to which proposed reforms in Japan are contingent on domestic nuclear policy. The panelists closely considered circumstances that are unique to Japan’s electricity sector in this discussion.

Senior Fellow and Director of ESI, Charles Ebinger, provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion.

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