The main purpose of PRANJ workshop is to provide opportunities for a better understanding of policy-related issues, particularly in the areas that are relevant to Japan and the U.S.

August 1, 2003

Topic: U.S.-Japanese Energy, Economic and Climate Policies: Approaches to Securing Economic Growth, National Security, and a Healthy Environment

Speakers: Mr. James J. Dooley, Senior Scientist, Joint Global Change Research Institute
                 Mr. Noriyuki Mita, Counselor, Economic section, Embassy of Japan

Where: CSIS 4F conference room 6:30pm - 8:30pm

RSVP required: Please RSVP to pranj3@hotmail.com by Thursday 31st (first-come, first-served
                         basis). Please state your name, affiliation, and contact information.

In recent days, numerous reports have been found in the Japanese press over Japan's energy policies, such as pursuit of energy sources in Russia and Iran, and promotion of nuclear power as energy sources.  As we all are aware of, Japan, as signatory country of the Kyoto Protocol, is also obligated to address the global warming issue in formulating its energy policies.

Meanwhile, the Bush Administration announced the US withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol two years ago.  Since then, US policies to address global warming continue to be debated and energy security and other energy policy issues are at the forefront of many key ongoing debates in the US.

Obvious questions emerge. What has created such difference between the two countries in terms of their positions toward the Kyoto Protocol? Is there any difference between two countries in perception of crisis resulting from global warming?  Or is there any fundamental difference in two countries? Why should we care about global warming anyway?  How can the global warming issue affect economic growth and security concerns for each country? How do the Japanese and U.S. government balance economic benefit and security concerns in formulating their respective energy policies, including their measures to address the global warming issue?

We will invite experts on U.S. and Japanese energy policies as panelists to our off-the-record discussions, and hear their respective views.  We hope to get some answers to the following specific questions from two panelists as well as attendants:

- Why should we care about "global warming"?  What's wrong with "warmer weather and more water in the oceans?"

- What is the basic philosophy of U.S. energy policy? Has it been changed? Is the U.S. energy policy linked to security policy?  If so, how? How does the U.S. government balance economic benefit and security concerns in formulating its energy policy?

- How can we address this issue from the perspective of public policies?

- What is the U.S. government's current stance with respect to global warming, given that it has rejected the Kyoto Protocol?

- What are U.S. businesses doing to address this issue?   Do they now think this is a crucial issue to deal with?  Or do they still think this remains a "scientifically unproven issue" thus they don't need to deal with it?

- How about Japanese government/businesses' efforts to address this issue?

- How does Japan incorporate its global warming policy into its overall energy policy? What was the Japanese response to the U.S. withdrawal from Kyoto protocol? What would the Japanese government do if the U.S. positions contradict Japanese energy policies?

- What is Japan's overall energy policy? (from economic/security perspectives)  How does the Japanese government balance economic benefit and security concerns in formulating its energy policy?

- How about other countries' efforts to address the global warming issue? Which regions/countries are most seriously working on this issue? Europe?

- What is the implication for global economy and security if we don't start to address the global warming issue now?   Do we have time to wait for "scientific proof" to emerge?

- How does this global warming issue affect economic power of individual nations and competitiveness of individual companies?

- What role can Japan and the U.S. as developed countries play in addressing the global warming issue?


Speakersf bio:

Mr. James J. Dooley is a senior scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute. Leads the Institutes research focusing on the interplay among economic growth, global-warming related technology development, and R&D investments. He is also the chairman of the advisory board overseeing large CO2 disposal projects in the U.S. for Battelle (the world's largest not-for-profit R&D firm).  He is also responsible for developing Battelle's climate management business with the private sector.

Mr. Noriyuki Mita is counselor of Economic section at the Embassy of Japan. He joined MITI (current METI) in 1986, and experienced energy-related policy area, including Electric Power Development, Nuclear Power Safety Administration, and utility public planning (Agency of Natural Resources and Energy). He also has an extensive experience in industrial policies area at METI. He holds a BA from Tokyo University (Law), and MA from University of Maryland (public policy) and SAIS.

RSVP required: Please RSVP to pranj3@hotmail.com by a day before the event (first-come, first-served basis). Please state your name, affiliation, and contact information.

* PRANJ (Policy Research & Analysis Network for Japan) is a virtual thinktank organized by Japanese researchers.

* This PRANJ workshop is organized by Maki Hishikawa and Hiromi Murakami.
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