The COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, held through mid-November, provided a stage for fierce fights between the United Kingdom and other European nations and emerging economies and coal-reliant nations over the phaseout of coal power by 2040.

Although Japan was also under strong pressure to make a commitment to end the use of coal, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida did not mention abolishing coal-fired power plants, reflecting Japan¡¯s vulnerability in terms of energy supply.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) defines energy security as ¡°the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price,¡± but achieving energy security is an extremely difficult challenge for Japan, which relies almost entirely on imported energy sources.