Shale gas and oil

Energy security is a very traditional topic in the intersection of security and economics. This chapter provides a case study of how a country, such as Japan, strives for greater security or lesser vulnerability in the area of energy. It focuses on the Fukushima Daiichi disaster and natural gas, oil, and renewable energy. Trade deficits were both symptoms and causes of Japan&s;s responses to the Fukushima-caused power shortage. The chapter examines the changes in Japanese nuclear energy policy. One of the key reasons for Japan&s;s large trade deficits in 2011–2014 was the high prices of oil and natural gas. Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) had common interests in lowering the prices they paid for natural gas imports. The Japanese government simply followed the path blazed by the private sector before the Great Earthquake. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) was interested in combatting global climate change; as soon as it assumed office, it started preparing a related bill.