ABSTRACT
Introduction Environmental degradations and fossil fuel dependence have fi rmly taken center stage in Japanese policy-making and its industrial debates. As one of the global economic leaders and a consumer of great deals of fossil fuels, Japan is expected to take international responsibility to conserve and protect the environment. This chapter attempts to explain how its environmental and energy governance has developed over time. Instances from issues of climate change and nuclear/renewable energy policies after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in March 2011 are selected as case studies. These two issues are not only critical to Japan’s environment and energy governance, but also they are closely intertwined with each other. For example, reducing dependence on nuclear energy suggests a choice to increase renewable energy sources, which would contribute to Japan’s effort to reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emissions.
