Having experienced two oil crises, our nation's manufacturing sector has made great strides in energy conservation, and presently its energy consumption per unit of GDP is among the lowest in the world.  Nonetheless, energy consumption in Japan has grown consistently in recent years, and as people continue to seek prosperous lifestyles in the future, it appears that energy consumption will continue to increase, particularly in the residential and service sectors.

In the light of these conditions in Japan, we believe that meeting Japan's goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 6%, according to the target set under the Kyoto Protocol, will be very difficult. If this goal is to be achieved, then all parts of society have to realize the importance of climate change and work proactively over the long term to solve this problem. The electric utility industry is putting its fullest effort into CO₂ emission reduction measures, with the promotion of nuclear power as its core. The industry is seeking the simultaneous achievement of the "three Es" (economic growth, energy security and environmental protection) while ensuring the stable supply of high-quality, inexpensive electricity.

Since the oil crises of the 1970s, Japan's power consumption has increased approximately three-fold, but CO₂ emissions have only doubled, meaning that CO₂ emissions per kWh used have fallen by about 40%. This improvement is largely the result of expanded use of nuclear power.

During fiscal 2000, the electric power industry produced 311 million tons of carbon dioxide (t-CO₂). Under the Environmental Action Plan of the Electric Utility Industry, the Federation of Electric Power Companies aims "to reduce CO₂ emission intensity (CO₂ emissions per unit of end-use electricity) in fiscal 2010 by around 20 percent from 1990 levels." Based on the recently announced power supply program, CO₂ emissions throughout fiscal 2005 are estimated to remain almost unchanged from fiscal 2000 levels.

If the power output of nuclear power plants in fiscal 2000 were to be supplied by thermal power plants other than LNG-fired plants, then CO₂ emissions would increase by 241 million tons. This is equivalent to around 20 percent of Japan's total CO₂ emissions (1,225 million t-CO₂), recorded in fiscal 1999.

Clearly, nuclear power, which results in no CO₂ during the power generation process and fewer life cycle assessment (LCA) CO₂ emissions than even wind or solar, is a very useful tool in the battle against global warming.

Japan's Advisory Committee for Resources and Energy, a consulting body to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, has taken a new look at the Long-Term Energy Supply and Demand Outlook as part of a study on Japanese energy policy. In the review process, the committee worked out several quantitative scenarios for stabilizing the nation's energy-oriented CO₂ emissions. One of these hypothetical scenarios examines the impact of excluding new nuclear power plant construction in the years ahead. In such a scenario, the expense of alternative CO₂ mitigation efforts (to substitute those forgone by neglect of nuclear power), if covered by taxpayers, would grind Japanese economic growth down to zero between fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2010. Nearly 2.28 million job opportunities would be lost.

Bearing this in mind as we strive to mitigate CO₂ emissions, the Japanese electric power industry is resolved to continue utilizing and developing nuclear energy in our battle against global warming.

Additional Resources:

Fact sheet on FEPC's Environmental Action Plan (2007)  PDF file
Fact sheet on FEPC's Principles & Measures for Climate Change (2003-2004)  PDF file