When Japan released its latest energy plan, most of the headlines focused on a single number: nuclear power is expected to provide around 20% of the country’s electricity by 2040.…
For more than a decade after the Fukushima accident, Japan’s nuclear industry existed in a kind of limbo. Reactors were shut down, politicians spoke cautiously about reducing dependence on nuclear…
Lately, I’ve found myself thinking about a place I’ve never been—the Strait of Hormuz. On a map, it’s easy to miss, just a narrow stretch of water between Iran and…
Energy doesn’t usually feel urgent until it shows up somewhere you weren’t expecting. Over the past year, I’ve started to hear it more often in conversations with business leaders. Not…
On the way to Fukui, someone mentioned Eiheiji Temple, where monks train for years in near silence, repeating the same routines until the rhythm becomes familiar. The image stayed with…
A few months ago, I was speaking with a university student in Tokyo who had studied engineering. He understood energy systems well and was genuinely interested in infrastructure. But when…
Japan already builds some of the most reliable energy systems in the world. Its reactors, power plants, and industrial equipment are designed to operate for decades with minimal failure. Companies…
If you travel through Japan’s industrial regions, one thing becomes clear very quickly. The country’s economy is built on systems that run continuously. Steel plants, chemical complexes, semiconductor fabrication lines,…
This week marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Every year on March 11, Japan pauses at 2:46 p.m., the moment the earthquake struck in 2011. In…
When tensions rise in the Middle East, the first signs rarely appear where the conflict is happening; they appear in energy markets. Oil prices begin to move, tanker insurance costs…
