Abstract
Northeast Asia’s rapid economic growth in the past two decades tremendously impacted the region’s oil and natural gas consumption and its dependence on nonregional energy supplies. Growing energy demand is a preeminent security issue for Northeast Asia because of its distinctive energy vulnerabilities and geopolitical location. The author analyzes the implications of energy security for regional conflict and cooperation among China, Japan, and South Korea. The author suggests that energy can create shared interests and opportunities for cooperation, rather than act as a source of confrontation. China, Japan, and South Korea can work together to build multilateral energy security institutions for cooperation in such areas as offshore energy exploration, clean energy programs, antipiracy activities, and pipeline construction in East Siberia.
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