Research on the Estimation of Energy Security Level of Japan in Comparison with Advanced Nations

In response to the recent structural imbalance of oil supply and demand, Japan has placed energy security at the top agenda of its energy policies. A review of the energy security level has importance in formulating and steering energy policies. Although energy security meant national energy security that puts the main priority on a stable energy supply, we are now required to consider energy security from wider viewpoints of global energy security, which includes environment, nuclear concerns, international relations and others as its priority aspects. This report is prepared to suggest a method of estimating energy security level in a quantitative manner. In this method, Japan's energy supply and demand structure is evaluated on the selected aspects and indexes as standard deviation among eight advanced nations and one area. The aspects and indexes include energy consumption, environment and economics as well as energy supply. The outcomes prepared by this method show that Japan is now placed at a lower position than most advanced nations and area, although its energy security level has been improved mainly with the contribution of the diversification of energy supply sources. The estimation also shows that Japan's energy security could improve until the portion of nuclear energy in the power supply reaches around 60% on the assumption of its present energy supply and demand structure. The future task is to determine the aspects and indexes to be picked up or the possible weight to be distributed among the aspects and indexes in response to the situations surrounding energy.