Adapting to a New Energy Era
Beijing Workshop 2014
On February 12, 2014, NBR hosted an invitation-only workshop, “Adapting to a New Energy Era,” in Tokyo, Japan. This full-day event featured senior policymakers, industry leaders, and top energy and geopolitical specialists.
World energy markets have undergone a seismic shift in the past ten years, driven by the unexpected boom in U.S. and Canadian production of shale gas, tight oil, and heavy oil. These changes have accelerated an already steady decline in U.S. imports of Middle East oil and gas. At the same time, Japan, China, and the rest of Asia have emerged as major importers of oil and natural gas from the Persian Gulf.
Given these broad changes in both energy markets and global strategic priorities, and as the United States continues its rebalancing to Asia, there is an urgent need for the United States and Asian countries to revamp their energy security strategies for stabilizing the Gulf region.
With this in mind, panel discussions examined:
- Current U.S., Japanese, and Asian strategies for oil and LNG supply security, including how the policies and economic considerations that underlie these strategies are changing
- Japan’s evolving energy security outlook, and how Japanese industry and policy are assessing both the prospects for the United States to reduce its presence in the Middle East and their own energy policy priorities
- How the United States and Japan can work more closely with states in the Asia-Pacific on a coordinated strategic policy to enhance Gulf stability and the security of oil and LNG transport
- Existing global and regional energy markets and institutions, and possible new or enhanced arrangements that might strengthen Asia’s energy security
- Likely resource and commitment requirements for the United States, Japan, and other states in Asia to achieve common goals
Speakers and Discussants
Admiral Dennis C. Blair, U.S. Navy (ret.), Board of Directors, The National Bureau of Asian Research
Junko Chano, Sasakawa Peace Foundation
Shinji Fujino, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC)
Mikkal Herberg, The National Bureau of Asian Research; University of California-San Diego
Roy Kamphausen, The National Bureau of Asian Research
James Kim, Asan Institute for Policy Studies
Ken Koyama, Institute of Energy Economics, Japan
Meredith Miller, The National Bureau of Asian Research
Kuni Miyake, Canon Institute for Global Studies; Ritsumeikan University
Yu Nagatomi, Instite for Energy Economics, Japan
Toshikazu Okuya, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan
The Honorable Tsuyoshi Shiina, House of Representatives, Japan
Kei Shimogori, Institute of Energy Economics, Japan
Nobuo Tanaka, Institute of Energy Economics, Japan
Tsutomu Toichi, Institute of Energy Economics, Japan
Kurt Tong, Embassy of the United States in Tokyo, Japan
Zhao Hongtu, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations
Agenda and Speaker Bios
Sponsor
This initiative is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
