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Energy trends in the Japanese transportation sector

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  • Kiang, Nancy
  • Schipper, Lee

Abstract

Passenger transportation in Japan, which is comprised of a high share of rail passengers and a low share of private vehicles, is considered one of the least energy-intensive transportation sectors in the industrialized countries. The thesis of this paper is that, despite low per capita energy use, when the intensities of individual modes are compared, Japanese transportation is not more energy efficient. Here, a detailed 25-year energy balance of this sector is analyzed, disaggregating fuel use within the different modes of transport as well as identifying the role of mini-cars and mini-trucks in Japanse transport activity and energy use. Changes in activity, modal structure, and modal energy intensity are separated out to describe energy-consumption trends. (Modal structure is found to be the primary factor behind the current low energy intensity of passenger transport and the high energy intensity of freight.) It is shown, through comparisons with similar data for the USA and eight European countries, that the low per capita energy use for passenger travel in Japan is related to both the low level of travel in general and the great importance of rail and bus, while there is very little difference between the structure of Japanese and European energy use for freight. The increased use of larger private cars and freight trucks continues to raise the energy intensity of the transportation sector, while air transport continues to gain shares in both sectors. Indeed, aggregate travel in Japan is more energy intensive than it is in Europe, and aggregate freight more energy intensive than in either the USA or Europe. Past improvements in energy efficiency were for the most part motivated by commercial concerns. No specific government policies to conserve transportation energy exist, and there is little evidence that policies had any effects on energy use, except, perhaps to increase energy use. The concluding discussion addresses the effects of Japanese transportation energy trends on carbon dioxide emissions.

Suggested Citation

  • Kiang, Nancy & Schipper, Lee, 1996. "Energy trends in the Japanese transportation sector," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 3(1-2), pages 21-35.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:3:y:1996:i:1-2:p:21-35
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Schipper, Lee & Figueroa, Maria J. & Price, Lynn & Espey, Molly, 1993. "Mind the Gap: The Vicious Circle of Measuring Automobile Fuel Use," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt06n8g4x9, University of California Transportation Center.
    2. Schipper, Lee & Figueroa, Maria Josefina & Price, Lynn & Espey, Molly, 1993. "Mind the gap The vicious circle of measuring automobile fuel use," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 21(12), pages 1173-1190, December.
    3. Richard B. Howarth & Lee Schipper & Bo Andersson, 1993. "The Structure and Intensity of Energy Use: Trends in Five OECD Nations," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2), pages 27-46.
    4. Schipper, Lee & Tax, Wienke, 1994. "New car test and actual fuel economy: yet another gap?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 1(4), pages 257-265, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. M'raihi, Rafaa & Mraihi, Talel & Harizi, Riadh & Taoufik Bouzidi, Mohamed, 2015. "Carbon emissions growth and road freight: Analysis of the influencing factors in Tunisia," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 121-129.
    2. Lund, Henrik & Clark II, Woodrow W., 2008. "Sustainable energy and transportation systems introduction and overview," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 59-62, June.
    3. Papagiannaki, Katerina & Diakoulaki, Danae, 2009. "Decomposition analysis of CO2 emissions from passenger cars: The cases of Greece and Denmark," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 3259-3267, August.
    4. Xue-ting Jiang & Min Su & Rongrong Li, 2018. "Investigating the Factors Influencing the Decoupling of Transport-Related Carbon Emissions from Turnover Volume in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-17, August.
    5. Rafaa Mraïhi & Riadh Harizi, 2014. "Road Freight Transport and Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Policy Options for Tunisia," Energy & Environment, , vol. 25(1), pages 79-92, February.
    6. Eom, Jiyong & Schipper, Lee, 2010. "Trends in passenger transport energy use in South Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(7), pages 3598-3607, July.
    7. Katerina PAPAGIANNAKI & Danae DIAKOULAKI, 2008. "Decomposition Analysis of CO2 Emissions from Passenger Cars: The cases of Greece and Denmark," EcoMod2008 23800102, EcoMod.
    8. Greening, Lorna A., 2004. "Effects of human behavior on aggregate carbon intensity of personal transportation: comparison of 10 OECD countries for the period 1970-1993," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 1-30, January.
    9. Yalan Zhao & Yaoqiu Kuang & Ningsheng Huang, 2016. "Decomposition Analysis in Decoupling Transport Output from Carbon Emissions in Guangdong Province, China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-23, April.
    10. Julien Brunel, 2005. "Le transport de marchandises et la croissance économique," Post-Print halshs-00095907, HAL.
    11. Lipscy, Phillip Y. & Schipper, Lee, 2013. "Energy efficiency in the Japanese transport sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 248-258.
    12. Mraihi, Rafaa & ben Abdallah, Khaled & Abid, Mehdi, 2013. "Road transport-related energy consumption: Analysis of driving factors in Tunisia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 247-253.
    13. Gómez, Antonio & Dopazo, César & Fueyo, Norberto, 2014. "The causes of the high energy intensity of the Kazakh economy: A characterization of its energy system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 556-568.
    14. Lund, Henrik & Münster, Ebbe, 2006. "Integrated transportation and energy sector CO2 emission control strategies," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 426-433, September.
    15. Kwon, Tae-Hyeong, 2005. "Decomposition of factors determining the trend of CO2 emissions from car travel in Great Britain (1970-2000)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(2), pages 261-275, April.

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