Japan and Energy in 13 Images

Updated on 03.26.2026

5 min read

Middle School High School

History, geography and geopolitics

1. Heavy Reliance on Hydrocarbon Imports

Japan imports almost all of its oil and natural gas. When it comes to oil, the country works to diversify its suppliers, but it still depends on Middle Eastern producers for nearly 80% of its supply. Japan mainly imports , which it refines domestically.
The photo shows a crudeoil refinery in Shizuoka, with the iconic Mount Fuji in the background. The area was heavily affected by the March 2011 earthquake, which caused major damage to the refining and petrochemical industries.

2. A Pioneer in Liquefied Natural Gas — and the World’s SecondLargest Importer

Japan is the world’s secondlargest importer of , accounting for 16% of global demand in 2024. It ranks just behind China (19% of global LNG imports) and ahead of South Korea (12%). Japan has been invested in LNG since 1969 and now operates 30 import terminals.
In the photo, pipelines carry liquefied natural gas directly from the (foreground) to the storage tanks (background). The gas is then regasified before being fed into distribution networks. Qatar, Australia, and Malaysia are Japan’s largest LNG suppliers.

3. The Shock of the Fukushima Accident Increased Japan’s Energy Dependence

Japan’s dependence on fossil fuels worsened after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in March 2011. Triggered by a tsunami following a massive earthquake, the accident led to the shutdown of all 54 of the country’s reactors. Since then, Japan has restarted 14 reactors and launched a new plan to rebuild its nuclear fleet.
The photo shows Units 3 and 4 of the Takahama nuclear plant, which have been cleared to restart. The Fukushima plant, meanwhile, is in the process of being decommissioned.

4. Japan’s Big Bet on Hydrogen: Transportation, Electricity, Heating, and Batteries

Japanese experts began researching the use of as an as early as 1973, exploring a wide range of applications. Hydrogenfuelcell electric vehicles have become symbolic in a country where the automotive industry has long been at the forefront of innovation. Toyota launched the Mirai (meaning “Future” in Japanese) in 2015, followed by Honda’s Clarity in 2016.
In the photo, Honda technicians are installing the large hydrogen tank onto the chassis of the Clarity at the Takanezawa plant.

5. New Technologies for Moving and Distributing Hydrogen

The hydrogen used in vehicles is compressed to 700 bar, which requires strict safety standards at refueling stations (photo). Japanese experts are already exploring other ways to transport and store it: as liquid hydrogen at extremely low temperatures, or combined with other chemical molecules, such as in ammonia. They are also considering its use in thermal power plants to generate . Japan plans to import “green” hydrogen produced in Australia, but the process remains extremely costly.

6. Using Hydrogen to Heat Japanese Homes

For several years, fuel cells have been used in a stationary way in many homes, offices, and public buildings. A unit about the size of a household appliance produces hydrogen directly from city gas. The then generates both electricity and .
The photo shows how compact this type of equipment is, taken during the commercial launch of a new model

7. Portable Applications in Electronics and Bikes

Hydrogen can also be used as an energy carrier in very smallscale applications. In the photo, the Japanese manufacturer Rohm showcases a battery that can recharge a mobile phone. When the hydrogen inside the battery comes into contact with oxygen in the air, it is converted into water—which evaporates—and electricity. A similar process is used in certain electric bicycles and scooters.

8. Offshore Wind Power: One Option for Reducing Energy Dependence

One of Japan’s options for diversifying its energy mix is to significantly expand . Because of the country’s geography, wind resources are limited. Japan is therefore investing heavily in offshore wind research, where turbines are installed on platforms. A 2MW prototype was set up as early as 2013, 20 kilometers off the coast of Fukushima. In the photo, the damaged nuclear plant can be seen on the horizon.

9. Solar Panels: Widespread on Rooftops

Always looking to capture every source of energy, Japan dominated the global solarphotovoltaic market at the start of the century. The country still ranks fourth today, largely thanks to the widespread use of rooftop solar panels on buildings and businesses.
In the photo, solar panels cover the facilities of the company Sasyunkan in Kumamoto. However, limited space and insufficient sunlight remain major obstacles to the expansion of solar power in Japan.

10. Floating Solar Power Plants

The scarcity of available land in Japan has pushed experts to use every possible space to install photovoltaic farms—from abandoned golf courses to natural and industrial bodies of water.
In the photo, technicians are installing floating solar panels on the Yamakura Dam reservoir near the city of Ichihara. With a capacity of 13.7 megawatts (MW), this floating solar farm is the largest of its kind in the world.”

11. Japan’s Untapped Geothermal Energy Potential

The fracturing of the Earth’s crust—which subjects Japan to frequent and often devastating earthquakes—could also prove beneficial by providing easier access to the Earth’s heat, in other words, geothermal energy. The country’s tens of thousands of hot springs testify to this intense underground activity.
Japan began developing power generation in the 1970s (the photo shows the first plant, Matsukawa, in northern Japan). However, the expansion of this energy source continues to face opposition, mainly for environmental reasons.

12. Japan’s Innovations in Mobility and Urban Planning

Japan is continuously integrating advances in housing, mobility, and energy. In the photo, automotive giant Nissan showcases a prototype of a “smart” home where the electric Leaf is charged by rooftop solar panels. In return, the car’s battery can feed electricity back into the house when needed. Because of its frequent earthquakes, Japan places a strong emphasis on maintaining a reliable power supply.

13. Building Smart Communities in Japan

Drawing on a tightly knit society, Japanese urban planners were early adopters of the concept of “smart communities.” In the photo, an operator in a control room oversees the districtlevel energy management system in Kashiwanoha, a suburb of Tokyo. In this “smart city”, residential buildings, a large shopping mall, hotels, and two universities are interconnected to maintain an optimal balance between the public grid, decentralized energy production, and local electricity consumption.