Robert Ward hosts Yamashita Yukari, Managing Director at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), and Stephen Stapczynski, Asia Energy Team Leader at Bloomberg News, for an in-depth discussion on the current state and future direction of Japan’s energy security. 

Together, they explore: 

• Japan’s 7th Strategic Energy Plan and its emphasis on economic security and energy mix. 
• The balance between renewables, nuclear and fossil fuels in achieving realistic decarbonisation. 
• Japan’s pioneering role in global LNG investment and supply security — a model now studied by the European Union. 
• Japan’s initiatives in hydrogen and blue ammonia cooperation with the Middle East and ASEAN. 
• The policy and market challenges shaping Japan’s energy strategy towards 2040. 

Recommended readings from our guests:   

• Hyakuta Naoki, Kaizoku to yobareta otoko [A man called a pirate] (Tokyo: Kodansha, 2012), 386pp. 
• Michael Booth, Sushi and beyond: What the Japanese know about cooking (London: Vintage Publishing, 2010), 336pp. 

We hope you enjoy the episode. Please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your preferred podcast platform. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at [email protected].  

Date recorded: 8 October 2025 

Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.

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