Japan, waking up to peak oil?

…Put simply, peak oil is the point when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached. After peak, the rate of production enters terminal decline. It is a daunting prospect for our modern civilization that relies so heavily on this magical substance (we talked about this in Peak Oil: What does it mean to you?).

Japan has a 49% dependence on oil for its primary energy supply and an 80% dependence on fossil fuels (which includes oil, natural gas and coal). From an energy security perspective, Japan

So what is the Japanese government doing to prepare for the reality of peak oil?

We raised this question with Hidenobu Teramura of the petroleum policy division at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Through the busy corridors of METI in Tokyo, bustling with government officials, we had to shuffle around before we found a spare meeting room.

Teramura