EU and Japanese climate and energy security policy

The chapter compares European Union and Japanese perceptions of the threats posed by climate change and energy dependency and their respective policy responses. The EU increasingly perceives climate change as a threat multiplier where the nexus between climate and energy security requires an integrated policy response. In contrast, Japan has not perceived them integrally. Energy security is within the remit of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, while climate security is discussed separately in the Ministry of Environment. Important differences in policy responses include Japan traditional heavy reliance on nuclear energy while the EU provides more support for renewable alternatives. Growing convergence can be noted in the field of energy security whereas it remains relatively low on climate security. EU-Japan bilateral relations and cooperation in multilateral fora, in particular the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, are evaluated. The EU and Japan have adopted various joint actions plans and engaged in mutual learning and influence. Yet EU and Japanese energy and climate policies remain heavily influenced by external actors such as Russia, China, and the US; special attention is paid to the impact of US withdrawals from the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement on EU-Japan collaboration.