Japan has no plans to abandon coal in the energy sector

Coal is set to overtake gas as Japan's largest electricity generator over the next three years as energy companies want to replace aging nuclear capabilities with fossil fuels.

Nuclear power, which accounted for about 29 percent of Japan's total electricity production before the Fukushima disaster in 2011, was peaking and is set to decline to 13.6 percent by 2023. By 2040, the share of nuclear power plants will drop to just 1.2 percent.

Even with a greater reliance on coal, the country is likely to meet its energy sector emission reduction target by 2030 due to falling electricity demand and the introduction of more efficient coal-fired power plants, as well as an increase in clean energy.

Japan, facing resistance from environmentalists, says it will help developing countries apply better technologies for coal-fired power plants. Environmentalists have criticized Japan for sticking to coal when switching to cleaner energy sources.

In response, Japan says it is helping to develop more efficient coal plants that can reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The country's financing of coal projects is also helping to improve energy security in countries that still rely on cheap fuel, officials said.

“It's not realistic to give up coal entirely, environmental aspects alone cannot dictate the country's path and set its energy policy,” Takafumi Kakudo, director of the clean coal division at the Ministry of Economy, said in an interview.