An Evaluation of Japan's Current Energy Policy in the Context of the Azadegan Oil Field Agreement Signed in 2004

Bibliographic Data

ID12691089
AuthorsRaquel Shaoul (Tel Aviv University, corresponding author)
Year2005
Volume6
Issue3
Pages411-437
Publication date2005-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJapanese Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1468-1099 • E-ISSN: 1474-0060
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1468109905001970
OpenAlexW2158282131
LanguageEN
Citations received5

In 2004, a government-backed Japanese consortium signed an agreement with the government of Iran to develop the major Azadegan oil field. Not only has the project been given the go-ahead despite numerous political obstacles and poor prospects attributed it, but the agreement also appears to be in conflict with Japan's energy policy, materializing from the mid 1980s to date. Consequently it is important to evaluate Azadegan in terms of Japan's evolving oil policy. Three alternative arguments are proposed to evaluate the quality of policy change: Japan–Iran's ‘special relationship’, bureaucratic factors in the energy policy-making process, and the rise of China. The conclusion emerging from this article is that the rise of China and the growing competition between Tokyo and Beijing in the Middle East and elsewhere are the primary factors in Japan's decision to conclude the Azadegan oil deal. The Azadegan case study therefore sets a new precedent for Japanese energy policy which emphasizes the political and strategic rather than economic factors leading this policy formulation

Beijing · Bureaucracy · China · Competition (biology · Context (archaeology · Energy (signal processing · Energy policy · Geography · Government (linguistics · Physics · Political science · Politics · Renewable energy · Engineering · Global Energy Security and Policy · Law · Natural Resources and Economic Development

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