As is most developed countries, Japan is addicted to oil. According to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy 100% of Japan’s crude oil must be imported. Oil accounts for more than 50% of Japan’s total primary energy supply. This has dropped from around 75% in 1973 when oil shock which forced Japan to adopt a new energy strategy. But it can difficult to be addicted to something so insecure, and Japan is approaching a turning point.

86% [2002] of oil imports come from the Middle East. Thomas Barnett has stated his opinion that Asia will gain more than the West from success in the Middle East and I think he is correct. Recently Japan has shown that it is increasingly willing to stand up and lend a hand, protecting its oil at the source. This is only the beginning.

Then there is the shipping angle. Most of Japan’s oil is shipped through two sea lanes: one through the Strait of Malacca into the South China Sea; the other the wide Lombok Straight east of Bali. Having a main shipping line south of Taiwan is strategically problematic. Admiral Koichi Furusho, the former chief of staff of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Forces, said “If you assume conditions are balanced now, they would collapse as soon as Taiwan unifies with China. The sea lanes would turn all red.” Furthermore both Malacca and Bali are prone to political conflict and piracy, adding to shipping safety issues. Needless to say, energy security has been a problem for Japan in the past (ahem… WWII…) and you can bet the Japanese are trying to come up with ways to ameliorate the problem.

For example, since oil is so necessary to Japan’s well-being, some have thought of extending the Japanese Self Defense Forces jurisdiction to protect these shipping lanes. JSDF marine vessels and aircraft could be used for patrols to ensure the important sea lines of communication stay open. This is of course opening another giant political can of worms on the Asian continent.

As in most countries who face the same addiction, energy security weighs heavily on Japan’s foreign and defense policy. I have become interested in this topic and am planning on researching it in detail in the future. Thus, I would like to initiate an information request to all Coming Anarchy readers. Please let me know of any resources in English or Japanese regarding:

• the oil industry (production and shipping) in relation to Japan
• Japan’s search for oil (eg. in Indonesia or elsewhere)
• energy dependence in general/Asia/Japan
• the intersection of energy security, foreign and defense policy

Please leave your recommendations in the comments, or you can email me through the contact form if you want to send something more private.

Thank you!

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