Japan's Coal “Reserves” Require Subsidies in Excess of $100 per Tonne

The 1999 IEA Review of Japan's energy policy included a detailed assessment of the subsidies given to Japan's coal producers. Japan's coal reserves are estimated at 821 million tonnes with the R/P ratio (reserves to production) in 1997 being 191 to 1.

In 1996 and 1997 the average price of Japan's steam coal imports was less than $50 per tonne.