Happy New Year.
In 2026, “security” is likely to become an increasingly central focus of energy policy.
At the outset of its World Energy Outlook 2025, the International Energy Agency (IEA) observes that “there is no other time when energy security tensions have applied to so many fuels and technologies at once.” Japan relies on imported fossil fuels for more than 80% of its energy supply, highlighting the critical importance of energy security.
This year marks fifteen years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in 2011. The unprecedented experience of a nuclear disaster caused by a massive earthquake and tsunami—followed by widespread public anxiety and severe power shortages caused by the shutdown of power plants across eastern Japan—led to a series of reforms aimed at ensuring a safe and stable electricity supply.
However, critical vulnerabilities remain unresolved.
At the same time, continued dependence on fossil fuels and the slow pace of greenhouse gas emissions reductions have turned climate change into a persistent crisis. In Japan, extreme heat, torrential rainfall, and increasingly powerful typhoons now pose direct threats to lives, livelihoods, and economic stability.
Ensuring safety across these three dimensions—energy security, disaster resilience, and climate stability— requires an energy transition centered on ending reliance on fossil fuels and establishing decentralized, renewable-based systems. While this transition may appear to face resistance both globally and domestically, a United Nations report published last July, Seizing the Moment of Opportunity, concludes that “the world is poised for a breakthrough in the rapid and widespread transition from energy systems dominated by fossil fuels to those dominated by homegrown, low-cost renewables.”
Recent data underscore this momentum. According to estimates released at the end of the year1, global additions of renewable energy capacity in 2025 reached a record 793 GW. The IEA shares the assessment that renewable energy continues to expand rapidly, stating in the World Energy Outlook that “renewables grow faster than any other major energy source in all scenarios, led by solar photovoltaics (PV).”
To translate this global momentum of renewable energy expansion into tangible progress in Japan, initiatives are being pursued by the national government, local governments, and growing number of pioneering companies. Nevertheless, far greater efforts will be required.
The next frontier for solar power development lies not only in solar sharing but also in expanding installations on buildings and facilities. Yet, plug-in solar systems that are becoming increasingly common in Europe remain unavailable in Japan under current regulations. In Germany alone, an estimated four million units—equivalent to around 2.5 GW—have already been installed. Beyond their aggregate scale, these systems play a crucial role in increasing social acceptance of renewable energy. By allowing users simply by plugging them into household outlets, plug-in solar systems enable residents of apartment buildings and rental housing to access solar power for the first time, fostering direct, firsthand experience of its benefits.
Alongside solar and wind power, geothermal energy is attracting growing attention. Accelerating its deployment will require revising the existing regulatory regime governed by the Hot Springs Act and promptly establishing a Geothermal Power Generation Business Act. Japanese companies are global leaders in geothermal power technology, accounting for more than 60% of the global market for geothermal turbines. Yet the absence of a comprehensive legal framework to unlock geothermal energy’s vast potential remains a critical gap.
The energy transition depends not only on expanding renewable energy but also on improving energy efficiency and accelerating electrification. Heat pump technologies—another area in which Japanese companies lead globally— should be fully deployed for heating and hot water in homes and offices, and increasingly adopted across industry. Advancing efficiency and electrification would significantly reduce Japan’s dependence on imported fuels for non-electric energy.
Blessed with diverse natural environments across all four seasons, Japan is by no means a resource-poor nation when renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass are taken into account. On the contrary, it is richly endowed with sustainable energy resources. Transforming Japan into a nation with 100% energy self-sufficiency—one no longer compelled to rely on fossil fuel-producing countries—will require reforming systems and policies so that this abundant domestic potential can be fully harnessed. While promoting the development of perovskite technologies is important, there is no need to wait for their full commercialization. By leveraging its own technologies and renewable resources, while advancing energy efficiency and electrification, Japan can raise its energy self-sufficiency and offer this model to emerging economies in Asia and Africa—strengthening energy security and advance decarbonization.
Let us make 2026 a year in which we decisively accelerate our steps toward a safer Japan and a safer world.
