FEATURING

Prof. Koichiro Tanaka
Professor, Keio University; President, JIME Center and Board Member, Institute of Energy Economics, Japan

Ms. Jane Nakano
Senior Fellow,
Energy and National Security Program
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Mr. Mikkal E. Herberg
Research Director, Energy Security Program,
The National Bureau of Asian Research

Dr. Miyeon Oh
Director and Senior Fellow, Asia Security Initiative,
Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security
Atlantic Council

Please join the Atlantic Council’s Asia Security Initiative and Global Energy Center for a discussion of how energy dependence on the Middle East is shaping Japan’s quest for energy security, prospects for US-Japan strategic cooperation, and the future of energy security in Asia.

Japan’s newest strategic energy plan promises to address domestic structural energy issues in the context of broader shifts in global energy trends. If successful, the new strategy will deliver significant improvements in efficiency, emissions, cost, and self-sufficiency by 2030, and again by 2050. At the same time, Japan, like much of Asia, continues to depend heavily on the Middle East for hydrocarbon imports. How is energy dependence on the Middle East shaping Asian geopolitics and strategic prospects for the US-Japan alliance? How feasible are Japan’s efforts to reduce its dependence on energy imports, and what does it mean for Japan’s relationships with the Middle East? How are infrastructure projects under China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy re-shaping energy geopolitics between both regions? Ultimately, what can the US-Japan alliance do to ensure energy security in a rapidly changing Indo-Pacific?