Japan Symposium Dialogue 2024 Outcomes: Securing an Energy Partnership for the Future

In the face of global conflict, climate change, and growing regional tensions, energy security is of paramount importance to resource-poor Japan. Dependent on imports for 94 per cent of its primary energy supply, Japan is vulnerable to an increasingly insecure global order and remains beholden to international partners and the stability of energy supply chains.

Australia is an important partner to Japan in this regard – Japan currently sources more than 40 per cent of its LNG and more than 65 per cent of its coal from Australia, and is Australia’s second largest energy market, valued at nearly $100 billion in 2022-23. Both countries want the energy partnership to continue to flourish as decarbonisation efforts intensify.

As Australia and Japan embark on their shared goal of energy transition to net-zero, both countries must work ever more closely to communicate their needs and the future of their respective energy industries.

The Perth USAsia Centre’s 2024 Japan Symposium, Securing an Australia-Japan Energy Partnership for the Future, facilitated an expert-led discussion and analysis on the future of the Australia-Japan energy partnership. Through a full-day dialogue, participants from both sides of the bilateral relationship raised major concerns, discussed areas for collaboration, and sought practical solutions to ensure Japan’s energy security amidst growing global conflict and Australia’s energy transition to net-zero. The following report is a product of this discussion.