The United States and Japan launched the inaugural Japan-U.S. Energy Security Dialogue (ESD) on December 1. U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt met with Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Director General MINAMI Ryo. Japan and the United States affirmed the U.S.-Japan relationship is the cornerstone of a free and open Indo-Pacific region and our partnership on energy security is strong and deep.
This Energy Security Dialogue aims to advance commitments by the United States and Japan under the July 29 action plan of the ministerial-level Economic Policy Consultative Committee (EPCC) to advance our economic cooperation, strengthen the rules-based economic order in the Indo-Pacific region and the world, and increase energy security and further the energy transition.
Energy Security
The United States and Japan expressed their serious concerns with the surge in energy prices, continuing price volatility, and supply disruptions resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The two countries agreed on the need for diverse and secure supplies of energy for energy security in Asia and the world. To address the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on energy markets, the United States and Japan intend to diversify global liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets and increase resilience against short term disruptions as countries move away from unabated fossil fuels and towards a sustainable net-zero future. Japan and the United States discussed the need for diverse and secure supplies of energy, noting support for upstream investment in the United States to enhance energy security. The United States and Japan are committed to maintaining an enabling regulatory environment to facilitate continued and increasing LNG supplies and to act on issues raised by stakeholders, including in the private sector. To that end, more than double the current amount of U.S. natural gas export capacity has received final regulatory approvals and is pending off-take agreements and final investment decisions.
Both countries underscored their continued commitments to decarbonizing their economies, while taking immediate action to secure energy supply and stop the increases in energy prices driven by extraordinary market conditions. The United States also committed to taking immediate action to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil energy production and consumption, particularly to reduce methane emissions. Both countries took note of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act’s Methane Emissions Reduction Program, which will invest $1.55 billion to reduce methane emissions and implement a methane waste fee on major emitting facilities, as well as the ongoing rulemaking process to sharply reduce methane and other harmful air pollution from both new and existing sources in the oil and natural gas sectors via the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The United States and Japan reiterated their robust support for the May 8 G7 decision to reduce dependency on Russian energy, June 28 G7 Leaders Communiqué and G7 support for Ukraine to repair, restore, and defend its critical infrastructure. The United States and Japan look forward to the December 13 international conference in Paris aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s civilian resilience, organized by France and Ukraine. Japan and the United States also welcomed the outcomes of the October 25 International Experts Conference in Berlin and remain committed to the recovery, reconstruction, and modernization of Ukraine, standing firmly in that effort for as long as it takes.
Energy Transition
The United States and Japan recognized that the climate crisis represents the existential challenge of our time and reiterated shared commitments to take immediate and continued action to address it through the achievement of our respective 2030 nationally determined contributions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emission targets.
The United States and Japan reiterated their support for accelerating the clean energy transition under the U.S.-Japan Climate Partnership and the U.S.-Japan Competitiveness and Resilience (CoRe) Partnership.
The United States and Japan discussed efforts to facilitate the deployment of zero emission technologies to support the clean energy transition in the Indo-Pacific region, including through sustainable biofuels, clean hydrogen and ammonia, solar and wind energy technologies, energy efficiency and power grid technologies, carbon capture, utilization and sequestration/carbon recycling, and methane abatement. Both sides applauded the Minerals Security Partnership and agreed to prioritize further discussions on securing and diversifying critical mineral supply chains.
The United States and Japan highlight the importance of nuclear energy as a key contributor of energy security and for providing affordable clean energy. Both countries agreed to facilitate the safe deployment of nuclear energy by third countries, especially in Asia. Both countries are committed to the highest standards of nuclear safety and security for their domestic programs and to contributing to a reliable nuclear supply chain.
The United States and Japan recognized ongoing cooperation with the private sector to promote decarbonization and increase energy access under the Japan-U.S. Clean Energy Partnership (JUCEP). Japan and the United States agreed to expand JUCEP to additional countries in the Indo-Pacific to support commercial opportunities and investment environments for innovative clean energy technologies. Both countries will also continue to develop the Japan-U.S. Clean Energy and Energy Security Initiative (CEESI).
Energy Access and Resilience
The United States and Japan reaffirmed the importance of continued cooperation across multilateral fora to facilitate access to affordable, clean, and reliable energy in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.
The United States will host the next Energy Security Dialogue in 2023.