The future of renewable energies in Japan after 3.11 – identifying types of energy-business actor’s perceptions

Abstract

Research on renewable energies has repeatedly highlighted the importance of market mechanisms for further diffusion. Findings of a recent survey conducted among employees of companies related to the Japanese energy production sector indicate a strong commitment of these actors to abandon nuclear energy and to focus on the production of renewable energies instead. They are also stressing a great variety of arguments against nuclear energy, ranging from economic considerations to more ethical belief-based motivations to invest in renewable energy. This has implications for further Japanese energy policy making. By exploring the survey data with the set- theoretical, configurationally method fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) we are able to create a typology of economic actors who oppose nuclear energy based on different combinations of arguments. We can hereby demonstrate the importance of developing a variety of political initiatives to respond to actors’ diverse motivations to invest in the Japanese energy transition.