日本是個天然資源稀少的國家，尤其缺乏如石油、煤碳和天然氣等石化能源資源。因此日本的能源資源供應約有80-90％仰賴進口。但經濟發展不能沒有穩定的能源供應，因此1970年代的兩次石油危機引起日本的強烈的能源不安全感，而開始積極追求能源資源的安定供給、有效使用。經過30餘年的努力，日本不僅在石油消費上大幅減少，增加核能發電和發展省能源科技和產業，提高能源自主性；同時也在全球環境保護的風潮下，發展再生能源科技和產業，成為綠色科技先進國。日本能源政策和產業發展看似兼顧環保和經濟需求，然而就個別能源產業來看，卻有許多困難，如石油產業因減少石油利用而使設備閒置浪費、再生能源如太陽能發電和風力發電的科技和市場應用瓶頸，以及核能發電的安全性和環保性爭議等。而這些議題在2011年3月的東日本大地震之後，更引起日本重新檢討能源政策的討論。本研究計畫第一年期分析日本能源政策的決策過程，並由政策網絡分析核能發電的爭論與發展。 Japan is a country lacks of indigenous natural resources, especially fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas. Japan imported nearly 80-90% of the total amount of its primary energy supply. However steady supply of resources is crucial in economy development and maintenance of infrastructure, the two oil crises of 1970s made Japan a sense of strongly energy insecurity, and long for making sure of steady supply and efficiency use of energy. Japan sought to energy autarky for three decades and turn to be a advanced country in green technologies by decreasing the consumption of oil, prompting the unclear power generation and the energy-saved technologies and industries. Japan seem to get a win-win between economy and environment, but there are still some hurdles hard to be overcame, such as the low activation of oil refining equipment due to low oil importing and consumption, barriers in technology and higher costs of renewable energy in cases of solar power and wind power, and the fierce debating in unclear power generation. After the Fukushima Unclear Power Plant disaster caused by the Eastern Japan Earthquake in March 11 2011, Japan are rethinking and debating what is the most suitable energy policy. This research in first year seeks to understand the political economy of Japan’s energy policy by analyzing the policy making in nuclear power.
