Japan's energy shake-up
The country's energy industry has been thrown into a state of turmoil by 'Abenomics'
Japan's energy sector faces declining long-term consumption and a reversal of historic government policy that has been preoccupied with security of supply for the best part of half a century. Yet although demand for oil is steadily shrinking, Japan remains an important premium country for oil producers. With limited crude resources of its own—despite decades of exploration, mostly outside the country—Japan imports around 4m barrels a day. "Accordingly, oil producers that can reliably supply the correct class of API and sulphur content crude compatible with Japanese refinery configurations, can rely on captive customers," notes the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies in a paper published in Fe
Also in this section
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
1 April 2026
The US-Iran conflict demonstrates the need for diversification in several senses of the word. It also exposes the limits of Washington applying pressure on major oil and gas producers it considers geopolitical adversaries
31 March 2026
Disappointing results in its bidding round are a reality check for Libya, and global exploration generally
