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Japan uses quantitative restrictions on imports (import quotas); according to the authorities, the quotas adhere to the WTO Agreements. Products subject to import quotas (unchanged since 2007) include: certain fish products and controlled substances listed in the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

(…) Increased imports of fossil fuels were a major factor in the rise in imports as they replaced energy from nuclear power following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011 and the subsequent shut-down of other nuclear power plants.

The shutdown of nuclear power plants following the accident in Fukushima in 2011 has provoked a major reconstruction programme. Although the electricity sector has been gradually reformed over the past twenty years, the regional utilities are still the main producers, transmitters, distributors, and retailers, while interchange between some of the regions remains limited. Recent amendments to the Electricity Business Act aim to secure a stable supply of electricity, suppressing electricity rates to the maximum extent possible, and expanding consumer choice and business opportunities.

Imports of fossil fuels have increased to fill an energy gap since the 2011 Fukushima crisis forced the shutdown of nuclear reactors that once supplied a third of Japan's power (section 4.3.2.1 and Table 4.19). (…)

Japan imports nearly all its basic energy requirements in the form of natural gas, crude oil, coal, and oil products. Domestic oil production, at 0.005 million bbl/day and reserves of about 44 million barrels are small compared to consumption of 4.7 million bbl/day. One of the main sources of energy used to be from nuclear plants, which accounted for over 15% of total energy supply and over 30% of total electricity production in 2005, but this declined sharply following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011 and the subsequent shut down of other nuclear power plants leading to greater imports of natural gas and a reduction in energy consumption (Table 4.18).

Table 4.18 Total primary energy supply, 2005-12
('000 tonnes of oil equivalent (toe))

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Natural gas: 70,565 77,454 83,046 83,715 80,732 86,014 100,062 105,292
Nuclear: 79,421 79,095 68,756 67,270 72,905 75,114 25,520 4,154
Hydro: 6,576 7,527 6,365 6,575 6,613 7,070 7,155 6,492
Geothermal, solar, etc.: 3,837 3,738 3,729 3,482 3,682 3,522 3,704 3,781
Biofuels and waste: 6,807 6,928 7,170 6,821 6,381 9,647 10,116 10,191

From 2005 to 2012, total electricity production and consumption was quite stable at about 1 million GWh each year. Since then production has declined, and the fuel mix has changed as production from gas increased while production from nuclear declined. Consumption has also been relatively stable, peaking at just over 1 million GWh, but has declined sharply since 2011: reaching 923 GWh in 2012 (Table 4.19).

Table 4.19 Production and consumption of electricity, 2005-12

Production: 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Hydro: 86,350 97,340 84,234 83,504 83,832 90,682 91,709 83,645
Biofuels: 15,340 15,339 16,095 15,448 14,346 29,095 29,150 30,241
Nuclear: 304,755 303,426 263,832 258,128 279,750 288,230 101,761 15,939
Waste: 7,060 7,299 7,275 7,322 7,457 7,114 8,170 8,332
Solar – pv: 1,493 1,794 2,015 2,251 2,758 3,800 5,160 6,963
Wind: 1,754 2,210 2,624 2,946 3,616 4,017 4,677 4,838
Geothermal: 3,226 3,081 2,043 2,750 2,886 2,632 2,676 2,609

At the time of its 11th TPR in 2013, Japan was recovering from the earthquake and tsunami of 2011 which resulted in sharp declines in private consumption and stock-building, and widespread supply chain disruptions affecting production across the country, particularly in export led sectors such as automobiles and electronics. Production had also been affected by the shutdown of nuclear power plants following the accident in Fukushima in 2011. (...)

The Action Plan also emphasises the importance of protecting infrastructure from natural disasters and nuclear accidents, and sets out several objectives to improve the viability of the agricultural sector and productivity including:
(…) • Rebuilding exports after the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant accident as well as promotion abroad and introducing a system for protecting geographical indications; (...)