CLEAN-COAL TECHNOLOGIES IN JAPAN

Coal provided 16.1% (116.3 million tons) of the energy for Japan in FY 1992. According to the long-term energy supply and demand outlook in Japan, prepared and revised in June 1994 by the Advisory Committee for Energy, it is estimated that coal will provide 16.4% (130 million ton s) of the energy in 2000 and 15.4% (134 million tons) in 2010, and tha t coal demand will increase. Japan imports one-third of the amount of international coal trade and depends heavily on overseas coals. In FY 1993, Japan imported 112 million tons of overseas coals and depended o n foreign countries for about 94% of coal used. Coal provides about 30 % of the energy for the world. Owing to the stable supply of coal and its economic efficiency for the middle and long term, technologies for coal utilization such as clean coal conversion, including liquefactio n, gasification, etc., and efficient combustion processes are being de veloped in Japan as the chief substitute for petroleum to reduce the e xcessive dependence on petroleum. Clean coal technologies being develo ped in Japan will spread widely throughout the world and are expected to create sustainable growth while solving energy and environmental is sues.