Significance of energy saving in energy securityin North East Asia

16th Northeast Asia Economic Forum
Toyama, 26 October 2007
Shigeru Sudo, IDCJ

Scope of the Report1.

Overview

2. Recent international efforts to cope with energy saving(1) Essential participation of developing countries(2) The issue of global warming and energy security(3) International frameworks for addressing issues ofenergy and environment(4) International energy saving cooperation initiatives ledby Japan(5) Energy security in North East Asia (Cebu Declaration)
3. Concluding remarks

Importance ofenergy saving

Why has energy
saving beenpromoted in Japan?

• is that energy saving
is an effective
measure to achieve
middle and long term
objectives in terms ofpromoting energy
security and countermeasures against
global warming.

• Geographical factors
such as Japan’s landarea and climaticconditions can bepointed out. However
political, economic
and social factors
have counted morethan these factors.

Important element for energy saving●Market mechanisms have played a large role in energy
saving through energy prices. As was seen in the oilcrisis in the 1970s, price hikes in imported oils can bepassed relatively easily on to the final consumer prices
including oil products and electricity & gas prices inJapan because of high dependence upon import energy.
●As the result, companies endeavored to shift to a moreenergy saving oriented industrial structure and tointensify the development of energy saving technology.
●Consumers became more energy saving minded bychoosing energy saving equipment and appliances.

Characteristic of Japan s culture• Japanese success in energy saving is backed up by its
culture of valuing things and avoiding any waste
traditionally nurtured by the Japanese people throughout
its history since the 17th century Edo Period.
• It is backed up by the public’s growing awareness on theenvironmental issue, the 3 R (Reduce, Reuse andRecycle) movement is widely supported.
• The Japanese phrase “Mottai Nai “ meaning “too good
to be wasted” is more and more uttered among theJapanese people. There are many Japanese people whoinsist that Japan should communicate the message ofthis phrase widely to the rest of the world.

Observations on “Energy security and building upof an energy saving oriented society in N.E.Asia”,• It will be that both hardware and software measuresare essential for the success of energy savingpolicies.
• In promoting cooperation with developing countries
in Asia in the field of energy saving in the future,transfers of technologies are important not only inhardware aspects but also in software aspects suchas socio-economic systems and institutions as wellas culture of valuing things and avoiding waste.

2. Recent international efforts tocope with energy saving• Essential participation of developing countries• The issue of global warming and energy security• International frameworks for addressing issuesof energy and environment• International energy saving cooperation
initiatives led by Japan• Energy security in North East Asia (CebuDeclaration)（１）The issue of global warming
and energy security• High resources prices resulting from the tight energy
market and conditions of unstable supplies of energy
resources, these shall work as factors constraining
economic development in developing countries.
• In this connection, to preserve valuable domestic
resources through efficient energy consumption and tosave the cost of overseas resources import is as
important as to secure stable energy supplies.
• Improvement in energy use efficiency, namely energy
saving will also contribute effectively toward solution ofthe global warming issue as it will reduce greenhousegas emissions caused by energy uses.

(２) International energy saving
cooperation initiatives led by Japan• In the New National Energy Strategy released in May
2006, Japan set for itself the goal of becoming thefrontrunner in energy saving and spelled out the Asia
Energy and Environment Cooperation Strategy. The
Strategy defined it as an element of the strategic “menu”
to transfer to neighboring developing countries in Asia
energy saving technologies Japan has developed andstocked ever since the oil crises.
• The Asia Energy Saving Program spelled out bilateralpolicy dialogue, action plan making and providing
assistance to Asian countries in their efforts for
institutional framework building.

(３) Energy security in North East
Asia (Cebu Declaration)• The second East Asia Summit Meeting adopted theCebu Declaration on Energy Security in East Asia inJanuary 2007 .
• The Declaration spelled out 5 goals to enhance energy
security in East Asia. These goals included;(1) to improve the environmental friendliness of fossil fueluse technologies,(2) to reduce dependence on fossil fuels,(3) to promote the development of the intra-regional
electricity power market,(4) to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases,(5) to promote energy related investment and infrastructuredevelopment.

(４) International Conference of Major
Countries on Counter-Measures against
Global Warming• The International Conference of Major Countries on
Counter-Measures against Global Warming was held on
September 27 and 28 in Washington. Foreign Minister
Koumura represented Japan.
•Prior to this Conference, the UN High Level Meeting on
Climate Change was held. Former Prime Minister Mori
participated as Special Envoy of Prime Minister Abe anddelivered a speech.

Concluding remarks•

As former Prime Minister Mori s proposal on September 24, It must
be remembered that changes in lifestyles and behavior patterns willcontribute substantially to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
In Japan the government urges the people to set air conditioning at atemperature of more than 28 degrees Celsius in the summer and at atemperature of less than 20 degrees Celsius in the winter.

•It is proposed that each government should urge people to set office
air conditioning at an efficient and moderate temperature.
This proposal should be introduced in the United Nations subject tothe agreement of Member countries.

•“You suggested it, so try it first”. 今王必欲致士、先従隗者（十八史略）