Comparison Between the United States of America and Japan

Introduction

Due to worries about energy security, climate change and sustainability, renewable energy has grown in importance in international politics. Currently, many nations are putting laws into place to encourage the development of renewable energy, but the methods used by these nations range greatly. In order to examine how and why their strategies differ, this essay will make a comparison of two democracies to compare the policies of renewable energy of the state of Japan and the United States; the research question of the essay will be; What accounts for the disparities between Japanese and American renewable energy policies? The Hypothesis of the essay will be the Differences in energy security concerns, national priorities, public attitudes, and institutional structures towards renewable energy can all be attributed to differences in political, economic, and cultural factors, which together explain the various differences in the policies of renewable energy between the state of Japan and the United States. This subject matter is important as the world’s two largest economies and top emitters of greenhouse gases are the United States and Japan. Their policies towards renewable energy, as a result, have a big impact on international efforts to combat climate change and advance sustainable development. We can learn a lot about the elements that influence the policies of national energy policies and find the best strategies for encouraging the development of renewable energy by contrasting how different countries approach this topic. Both the US and Japan have recently set high goals for the growth of renewable energy sources. Although the United States wants to produce 100% of clean and pure electricity by 2035, Japan aims to produce 24% of its own electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030 (United States Department of Energy, 2022). However, there are significant differences in their attitudes and strategies. While the states of America have a more varied portfolio of sources of renewable energy, including wind, solar, geothermal energy and hydropower, Japan has concentrated on fostering the development of solar wind power and solar. In order to understand the fundamental differences and similarities between the United States and Japan, this study will first analyze the literature about policies on renewable energy in those two nations. The causes of these discrepancies will next be examined using a variety of sources, such as government reports, scholarly studies, and media stories. This essay will conclude by making a few judgements and suggestions for further study and policy formulation.

Literature review

With the effects of the change of climate and the need to lessen reliance on fossil fuels, policies promoting renewable energy are becoming more and more crucial. Both Japan state and the States of America are democratic nations that have set goals for renewable energy and put policies in place to help them be reached. This part will examine the available research on these two nations’ policies of renewable energy in this review literature, noting parallels, contrasts, and possible future research topics. In one research study, Miwa. (2019) compared the efficacy of a system on feed-in tariff system in the United States and Japan’s renewable energy policies. The authors discovered that while both nations had put similar systems in place, Japan’s state had been more effective in expanding its capacity for renewable energy because of better policy execution. The regulatory environment is continuously changing. Therefore more research is needed to properly understand the effect of feed-in tariffs on the adoption of renewable energy, according to the authors.

The policies on renewable energy of Japan state and the United States were examined in another study research by Ahmad (2020) in the framework of their climate change and energy security objectives. The authors noted that while both nations had established challenging renewable energy goals, Japan had a more thorough regulatory framework that included demand-side control tactics and energy efficiency initiatives. The authors also noted that the States of America has a stronger innovation environment and a more diverse portfolio of renewable energy sources, which might help it meet its renewable energy ambitions. In their third study from 2017, Xiao et al. looked at the renewable energy political economy regulations in both Japan and the US. According to the authors, both nations encountered obstacles in their shift to renewable energy, such as government restrictions and opposition from existing energy interests. However, the authors pointed out that Japan’s more tightly controlled energy system and more aggressive government intervention could be able to assist it in getting beyond these challenges.

In contrast, a research study by Xu. (2019) examined the renewable energy policies of Germany with the United States and found that Germany had a more thorough framework that encompassed a variety of regulatory measures, financial incentives, and public engagement techniques. The authors made the case that the United States might benefit from the experience of Germany in promoting renewable energy policies and that further study research was required to comprehend the elements that contribute to effective policy.

The importance of subnational actors in advancing policies on renewable energy in the state of Japan and the United States was also the subject of research by Pop et al. (2019). The authors discovered that while local governments and states were important subnational actors in both nations, their levels of autonomy and impact varied. Subnational players in the United States had greater autonomy and could have a greater impact in promoting and enhancing renewable energy than subnational players in Japan, who had little power and were heavily reliant on the central government. Many academics have also asserted that divergent political cultures and ideologies have significantly influenced the development of renewable energy legislation in Japan state and the United States. For instance, academics like Mark Zachary Taylor (2017) contend that Japan’s emphasis on collective values systems, such as the advancement of the well-being of the society, has resulted in greater government involvement in the growth of alternative energy sources, as opposed to the United States, where a commitment to individual liberty has led to a preference for market-based incentives and free markets like tax credits. As a result, Japan has adopted feed-in tariffs more widely than the United States. The influence of institutional variables on the development of renewable energy policy in these two nations has been studied by other academics. For instance, numerous studies have emphasized the significance of administrative experience and the regulatory setting in supporting the implementation of renewable energy in the state of Japan (Cherp, 2017). The country’s measures for renewable energy have been credited to the Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry of Japan (METI), which has also put laws in place to promote innovation and investment in this area.

The regulatory framework has similarly played a key role in encouraging the use of renewable energy in the United States. For instance, the Clean Power Plan of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which established goals for lowering carbon emissions from thermal power plants, was a major factor in encouraging the use of sources of clean energy by power corporations (Wiser et al., 2016). Also, a number of states have adopted Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), which demand that a certain proportion of the electricity be produced from renewable sources. Despite these distinctions, several researchers have also found areas where Japanese and American renewable energy policies are similar. For instance, both nations have created programmes to encourage the installation of offshore wind energy. In contrast to Japan, which has devised a plan to produce 10 megawatts of power of energy from wind energy by 2030, the administration of Biden in the United States has established a target of 30 gigawatts (Ahmad, 2021).

The plans for renewable power in Japan and the US, however, have also drawn criticism. Some academics contend that the measures don’t go far enough to address the issues surrounding the change of climate and the shift to a reduced-carbon economy. For instance, numerous studies have critiqued Japan’s emphasis on nuclear energy and the country’s continued utilization of fossil fuels, including coal, in its energy sector mix (Miyamoto et al., 2020; Zhang, 2017). Similarly to this, some academics have claimed that incentives and laws in the United States have not been sufficient to encourage the development of renewable energy (Sawin et al., 2019; Turner & Gale, 2019). Overall, the evidence available indicates that both Japan state and the States of America have established challenging renewable energy goals and created programmes to reach them. Yet, there are variations in their frameworks’ policy comprehensiveness and efficacy, in addition to the place of subnational players and the political philosophy of energy. To fully comprehend these variations and pinpoint the most effective strategies for advancing renewable power policies in democracies, more research is required.

Analysis

Many aspects were looked at to test the theory that the variations in renewable energy policy between Japan and the US might be attributed to a confluence of political, economic, and cultural factors. They included societal attitudes regarding renewable energy, institutional systems, governmental agendas, and worries about energy security. First off, due to its dearth of indigenous resources, Japan has traditionally relied significantly on foreign fossil fuels in regard to a national priority. Due to this, measures like the implementation of feed-in rate tariffs for sources of clean energy in 2012 were introduced with the goal of reducing dependency on imported foreign fossil fuels. On the other side, the United States has placed more of an emphasis on energy independence than on energy security because of its significantly strong domestic fossil fuel resources. This has caused policymakers to be less aggressive in their promotion of renewable energy. Second, the contrasts between the US and Japan are significantly influenced by worries about energy security. Japan has been more aggressive in promoting renewable energy and diversifying its sources of energy since it is more susceptible to geopolitical threats. In comparison, the U.s has had less of a need to invest substantially in sources of clean energy due to its strategic partnerships and abundant domestic resources. Thirdly, both the US and Japan have different institutional frameworks. The stronger bureaucracy and more centralized administration in Japan have aided in the adoption of renewable energy regulations. In contrast, the American government is more decentralized, which has rendered it more challenging to put into practice cohesive national policies on renewable energy.

The institutional frameworks of Japan and the US differ significantly from each other in terms of their approaches to renewable energy legislation. Due to the government’s extensive regulation and control over the power industry in Japan, the administration government has a stronger impact on the execution of renewable energy legislation. The primary government agency in charge of regulating the power sector, including the support of renewable energy, is the Ministry department of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). A feed-in rate tariff system in Japan also mandates utilities to buy renewable energy at set prices, giving investors in renewable power security and stability.

However, the federal government administration in the United States plays a much smaller part in the implementation and application of policies related to renewable energy. Instead, state governments make the majority of the decisions regarding renewable energy policy, which leads to a patchwork of rules and laws across the nation. Although some states have adopted ambitious objectives and incentives for renewable energy, others have not. Inconsistent assistance for renewable energy has also been caused by the absence of a cohesive national energy policy in various political governments. Thus, the diverse approaches to policies regarding renewable energy between the two nations are influenced by variations in institutional architecture. And last, popular perceptions of renewable energy vary between the state of Japan and the US. The adoption of regulations promoting renewable energy has been aided by Japan’s tradition of energy power conservation and its strong awareness of public campaigns of the necessity to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas. Nonetheless, the individualistic culture and trust in market-based remedies in the United States have resulted in a more cautious attitude to policies pertaining to renewable energy. The theory of Political Economy served as the theoretical basis for the analysis. According to this idea, political and economic variables are interwoven, and the power structure distribution in society has a big impact on how economic policies are formulated. In this instance, the research contends that political, economic, and cultural variables influence the disparities in renewable energy regulations between the US and Japan. The following table contrasts a few of Japan’s and America’s policies regarding renewable energy and goals to highlight the findings:

Table 1 compares the policies and goals for renewable energy in Japan state and the US.

As can be seen from the table, Japan state has set a larger renewable energy goal for 2030 than the US, indicating that it places a higher priority on renewable energy. In contrast to the United States, which has depended on state-level implementations of net metering rules, Japan has also established feed-in rate tariffs for solar energy on a nationwide scale. Likewise, whereas the States of America has only recently updated its energy conservation rules, Japan has long-standing policies for conserving energy in buildings.

The analysis concludes that a combination of political, economic, and cultural reasons can account for the variations in renewable energy regulations between the two countries, the state of Japan and the US. These elements include institutional frameworks, societal attitudes towards renewable energy, energy security issues, national priorities, and energy security concerns. The results are in line with the theory of Political Economy, which holds that a number of variables, such as political power dynamics, economic interests and cultural values, have an impact on government policy decisions. Government activity in the area of renewable energy policy strategy is heavily influenced by the political and economic interests of various organizations as well as more general societal priorities and values. Overall, this analysis emphasizes the significance of comprehending the intricate interactions between variables that affect policy decisions pertaining to renewable energy and recommends that a means of implementing policy analysis is required in order to completely comprehend the dynamics that are at play.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the study is consistent with the idea that a combination of political, economic, and cultural reasons might account for the variations in renewable energy policy between Japan state and the United States. The results imply that policies regarding Japan’s renewable energy have been primarily driven by its focus on public attitudes and energy security towards renewable energy, whereas the United States strategy has been impacted by economic factors and institutional architecture. In respect of their strategies for policies regarding renewable energy, including the use of subsidies and incentives to encourage renewable energy and the development or growth of renewable energy technology, the United States and Japan share certain parallels with one another, according to the study. Yet, the disparities in institutional frameworks and national goals have led to different outcome policies. Other democratic nations that are considering introducing renewable energy regulations may be able to use the study’s findings. It is crucial to remember that each nation has a distinct political, economic, and cultural backdrop that could affect its policy on renewable energy. Comparative analyses between other pairings of democratic nations may be included in subsequent studies on this subject to further examine the variables affecting renewable energy policies. More investigation might be done to offer a more nuanced knowledge of the impact of the political, economic, and cultural aspects mentioned in this study essay on renewable energy legislation. Moreover, longitudinal studies might be conducted to monitor the development of policies regarding renewable energy over time and assess the efficiency of various policy instruments and tools in promoting the use of renewable energy. This study has brought attention to the complexity of policies regarding renewable energy making in democratic nations and the significance of taking into account a variety of elements to comprehend variations in policies. The results indicate that a variety of interrelated political, economic, and cultural issues influence policies on renewable energy and that policymakers must carefully take these elements into account when creating effective policies on renewable energy.

References

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