This paper establishes an 'energy security assessment instrument' based on a new and expanded conceptualisation of energy security. The instrument is a systematic interrogative tool for evaluating energy security of individual states or regions. It consists of eleven broad energy security dimensions associated with the current global energy system. These energy security dimensions take into account numerous quantitative and qualitative attributes of a state's energy security and policy, and include both traditional energy security concerns and many new factors, such as environmental, socio-cultural and technological. Another dimension, largely absent from previous analyses, is the existence of, and the issues addressed in, energy security policy in each country. This instrument serves as an assessment system with which to evaluate energy security in the Asia-Pacific region. The instrument is valuable as it may be utilised to draw a comprehensive map of regional energy security, which can also include comparative analysis of energy security characteristics across the Asia-Pacific region.

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If we are to define energy security as the availability of energy at all times in various forms, in sufficient quantities and at affordable prices, without unacceptable or irreversible impact on the economy and the environment, Japan is facing an energy security predicament. For a country that was already uneasy about energy security, the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, which caused a nuclear catastrophe in TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, turned this unease into outright anxiety. With the temporary and/or permanent closure of many nuclear reactors Japan has had to replace lost power. Tokyo has had no choice but to secure additional fossil fuels, a strategy that has negatively affected Japan's economy due to rising fuel costs. The increase in Japan's fossil fuel consumption has also caused a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions, and affected Tokyo's commitment to Kyoto targets. This paper analyzes the consequences of the 2011 nuclear disaster for Japan's energy security. Recognizing that Japan's future energy policy choices are constrained and path dependent, the paper outlines energy policy recommendations for Japan's government.

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