ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how the 1970s oil crises and the Japanese government’s relationships with the electric utilities and the public influenced Japanese energy policy, the policymaking process, and energy system resilience. Employing interview data, public opinion polls and government documents, the chapter explains why the oil crises generated dramatic energy policy change in Japan that bolstered energy system resilience without immediate changes to the policymaking process or regulatory structure. The data reflects the Japanese government’s cooperative relationships with and clout over the electric utilities and the public, as well as general alignment of energy system resilience priorities across the utilities, policymakers, and public. These factors combined to enable a shift away from oil and rising emphasis on nuclear power expansion, coupled with energy efficiency and energy conservation. The same factors also supported increased natural gas use, a more limited increase in coal use, and little movement on renewables.
