Japan’s Transition to 100% Clean Energy: Opportunities and Challenges

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-642-5_75How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Japan; Energy Transition; Clean Energy; Energy Security; Solar potential

Abstract

Japan faces significant energy challenges due to its heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels, which has led to high greenhouse gas emissions, elevated energy costs, and concerns about energy security. This study assesses the feasibility of transitioning Japan to a 100% clean energy system, with a focus on evaluating the technical potential of its dominant renewable resources. By analyzing current energy data and employing sector-specific modeling, this article estimates the generation capacity of solar PV, onshore and offshore wind, hydro, geothermal, and nuclear power. Findings indicate that these sources can collectively meet over 90% of Japan's projected end-use energy demand following efficiency gains. Solar rooftop PV and offshore wind are identified as the key solution in these transitions, but the realization of this potential is constrained by high upfront costs, grid integration challenges, geographical limitations, and socio-political barriers, particularly regarding nuclear energy. This paper concludes that while a predominantly renewable-powered Japan is technically attainable, it requires strategic infrastructure investment, policy support, and international cooperation to overcome these hurdles. The insights offered may also serve as a valuable reference for other resource-constrained island nations.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yuan Hong
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/29
TI  - Japan’s Transition to 100% Clean Energy: Opportunities and Challenges
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 11th International Conference on Financial Innovation and Economic Development (ICFIED 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 743
EP  - 750
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-642-5_75
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-642-5_75
ID  - Hong2026
ER  -