Multicountry Observational Study on Energy Efficiency in Japan

In Asia, just as elsewhere, increasing energy efficiency has become one of the most important issues on the energy policy agenda. In order to support two-way exchange of knowledge and experiences in this range of issues, the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) conducted an international fact-finding mission to Tokyo from the 26 to the 30 January 2015.

As part of the mission, technical specialists and competent public servants from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam came together to interrogate these issues. During their stay in Tokyo, participants got familiar with various energy efficiency measures that have already been implemented successfully in Japan, India and Germany. They were also given an understanding of energy balances in those three countries, and of attempts made within energy policy to make speedier headway in energy efficiency. Dr Yoshiaki Ichikawa, Senior Chief Engineer at Hitachi, and numerous other leading executives from Japanese technology corporations, provided insights into research and development as well as energy management activities taking place at their companies. The programme also included excursions to industrial plants around Tokyo. The fact-finding mission was topped off with a visit to the Japan Productivity Centre (JPC).

adelphi offered an introduction to energy balance and German energy efficiency policy in the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as presenting the main measures being taken to increase energy efficiency and illustrating their implementation in practice. On the basis of these introductions, observations and the exchange of experiences, participants developed concrete action plans to increase energy efficiency in their home countries. The Japan Productivity Center (JPC) and adelphi supported this effort.