デンリョク ジユウカ ト エネルギー セキュリティ : レキシテキ ケイイ オ フマエタ ニホン デンリョクギョウ ノ ショウライゾウ ノ テンボウ

強靭なエネルギー企業

The purpose of this paper is to examine the process of the liberalization of the electric power industry in Japan and the recent setback of the liberalization. The liberalization of the Japanese electric power industry began in 1995, and progressed step by step until 2004. From a perspective making much of energy securities, however, the Japanese government intends to the perfect liberalization of the electric power industry scheduled in 2007 to be postponed. It asserts that the liberalization retard investments in atomic generation essential for energy securities. This paper criticizes the above argument by the Japanese government. Its conclusion is that the continuation of the liberalization of the electric power industry will rather make the Japanese energy securities better through creating strong energy companies retaining international competitiveness.