Research Paper

Future Energy Landscape - Global Energy Agenda - Growing interest in energy conservation and its pitfalls

Author	Akira Yanagisawa
Summary	Following the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel in February 2026, the stable supply of energy—particularly crude oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz—has been disrupted. As a result ...
Outline	Energy conservation, which has attracted even greater attention following the disruption to the stable supply of energy, has made a significant contribution and appears to be regarded as a priority in Japan. Even following the easing of the drastic measures implemented after the Great East Japan Earthquake, energy intensity has continued to improve by between 0.4% and 4% per annum in many prefectures. However, due to differences in industrial structure, there is a disparity of up to just under 17-fold in these levels between prefectures. If we fall into the trap of treating the improvement in energy intensity—a metric that is easy to measure—as an end in itself, this could lead to the exclusion of energy-intensive industries. We must always bear in mind the purpose of energy conservation.
Keyword	Sakiyomi, energy conservation, energy intensity, prefectures
Media	ＨＰ (8/6/2026)
URL	https://eneken.ieej.or.jp/en/sakiyomi_energy_issues.html
Report PDF	https://eneken.ieej.or.jp/data/13465.pdf