This study presents a new approach to gauging energy or fuel poverty for developed countries. It develops a multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI), which can evaluate energy poverty from a multidimensional angle. The MEPI is composed of three attributes (dimensions) of energy poverty, specifically for developed countries: energy costs, income, and energy efficiency of housing.The study applies this measure to gauge energy poverty in Japan after the 2000s, focusing on the years around the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) and the Fukushima nuclear accident. Based on unique microdata, the results show that energy poverty has been aggravated in Japan since the 2000s. Mother-child and single-elderly households (vulnerable households) are in a serious situation and the elderly are at high levels of energy poverty. In addition, the results indicate the grave impact of energy price escalation after the Fukushima accident on energy poverty aggravation, especially for vulnerable households or the elderly.

ABSTRACT

This study examines the regional characteristics of energy or fuel poverty in Japan through a new approach, i.e., evaluating energy poverty via the direct measurement of energy service usage. This measure is a kind of relative poverty measure in calorific value, with multiple thresholds reflecting the diverse energy needs of households. The analysis sheds light on several unexplored issues in previous literature. Most notably, the result emphasizes the role of kerosene (heating oil) in securing warmth in winter, especially in the northern regions, and highlights an "energy poverty premium" in Japan on the unit cost of energy (per amount of heat). This study also suggests that the ongoing energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables should be promoted carefully with due consideration to the detrimental impact on the energy poor.

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The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach to evaluating structural change of the economy in a multisector general equilibrium framework. The multiple calibration technique is applied to an ex post decomposition analysis of structural change between periods, enabling the distinction between price substitution and technological change to be made for each sector. This approach has the advantage of sounder microtheoretical underpinnings when compared with conventional decomposition methods. The proposed technique is empirically applied to changes in energy use and carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions in the Japanese economy from 1970 to 1995. The results show that technological change is of great importance for curtailing energy use and CO 2 emissions in Japan. Total CO 2 emissions increased during this period primarily because of economic growth, which is represented by final demand effects. On the other hand, the effects such as technological change for labor or energy mitigated the increase in CO 2 emissions.

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This paper proposes a simple and theoretically clear approach to the estimation of technological change in a multisector general equilibrium framework. This study employs the Multiple Calibration Decomposition Analysis (MCDA) to evaluate technological change that is responsible for changes in energy use and carbon dioxide emissions in the Japanese economy in the oil crises period from 1970 to 1985. The MCDA serves as an elementary way of separating structural change due to technological change from that due to price substitution effects, capturing the interdependence among economic sectors. The empirical result provides a better understanding of the effects on the economy of technological change in that significant period.