The COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, held through mid-November, provided a stage for fierce fights between the United Kingdom and other European nations and emerging economies and coal-reliant nations over the phaseout of coal power by 2040.
Although Japan was also under strong pressure to make a commitment to end the use of coal, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida did not mention abolishing coal-fired power plants, reflecting Japan’s vulnerability in terms of energy supply.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) defines energy security as “the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price,” but achieving energy security is an extremely difficult challenge for Japan, which relies almost entirely on imported energy sources.