The 2011 disaster and nuclear problems opened the door to a new energy policy, as they raised fundamental questions about the electricity system’s ability to prevent and respond to accidents. In particular, the system has had difficulty coping with the shortages caused by the accident and the suspension of operations of nuclear power plants. Addressing these problems requires creating a more competitive electricity sector by reducing the dominance of the ten regional monopolies through ownership unbundling of generation and transmission and by expanding the wholesale market. It is also important to increase interconnection capacity, while introducing real-time pricing. The reduced role of nuclear power following the Fukushima accident makes it necessary to accelerate the expansion of renewable energy, which requires setting a sufficiently high and consistent price for carbon. Finally, the government should ensure the independence of the new Nuclear Regulatory Agency and create an independent regulator for the electricity sector to promote competition. This Working Paper relates to the 2013 OECD Economic Survey of Japan (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/japan)
