Dr. Hayato Koga is the latest Empowered Futures alumnus to successfully defend their PhD, marking a significant milestone in a journey that has been both intellectually rigorous and personally transformative. He took his PhD in Human Geography at the University of Manchester, gaining his doctoral degree in July, 2025. Hayato's research into energy communities – bottom-up initiatives that aim to democratize energy governance by giving local actors more control over energy decisions, promoting sustainability, and fostering social and economic benefits at the local level – offers a fresh and critical lens on how energy transitions are imagined and enacted. From the local scale of community initiatives to the broader dynamics of national energy governance, Hayato’s work challenges assumptions and opens new pathways for thinking about energy justice and transformation.
From Local Practice to Global Insight
Hayato’s doctoral research began with a focus on energy communities in Japan. He was drawn to the idea that this approach could offer a more democratic and just alternative to centralized systems. Yet, as he delved into the literature and fieldwork, he found that these ideals were not always realized in practice.
Rather than simply advocating for the expansion of energy communities, Koga developed a more nuanced framework for understanding their transformative potential. He argued that community energy can be powerful when it disrupts dominant imaginaries - shared visions and assumptions about energy systems - and brings excluded perspectives into view.
A Japanese Perspective on Energy Governance
Japan’s energy landscape, shaped in part by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, provided a unique context for Hayato’s research. The accident, which occurred while he was still in junior high school, left a lasting impression. Visiting the affected region years later, he became acutely aware of the injustices embedded in Japan’s centralized energy system - particularly how electricity produced in Fukushima powered Tokyo, while the local communities bore the brunt of the disaster.
This experience sparked his interest in exploring alternatives to the dominant energy governance model. He wanted to understand whether energy communities could truly challenge the status quo or if they were simply small-scale solutions with limited impact.
Navigating Academic Worlds
One of the challenges Hayato faced was methodological. Funded by a Japanese Government Scholarship intended for overseas study, he was unable to spend extended periods in Japan, limiting his ability to conduct participatory fieldwork. Instead, his research relied heavily on semi-structured interviews.
Another challenge was intellectual: bridging the gap between Japanese and Western academic discourses. Japanese scholarship on energy communities has its own philosophical and theoretical foundations, which differ significantly from the English-language literature that often centers on concepts like energy justice and democracy. Koga had to navigate both spheres, identifying overlaps and divergences - a task he found demanding but intellectually rewarding.
Expanding the Scope
Now an assistant professor at Hitotsubashi University, Japan, Hayato is building on his doctoral work by expanding his focus to system-wide dynamics. While his PhD examined localized energy practices, he now aims to explore the broader processes of decentralization in Japan’s energy system - particularly the shifts that have occurred since the late 1990s and more intensively in the past decade.
His new role allows him to prioritize research and being based in Japan makes fieldwork more accessible. Recently, he traveled to northern Japan to study nuclear waste disposal siting, a topic marked by controversy and contestation. Collaborating with colleagues at his university, he’s excited to begin new projects and contribute to ongoing debates in energy governance.
Empowered Futures: A Community of Scholars
A defining experience during Hayato’s PhD was his involvement with Empowered Futures, a network of energy social scientists from around the world. He recalls the value of both the formal courses and the informal conversations – whether over dinner, in hotels, or at social gatherings – that helped him feel less isolated and more inspired.
For Hayato, the real impact of Empowered Futures lay in the sense of community it fostered. It was rare to be surrounded by so many researchers who shared his interests and could engage deeply with energy issues from diverse social science perspectives. These interactions not only enriched his thinking but also expanded his professional network.
Even now, back in Japan, Hayato feels connected to the European energy research community. The relationships he built through Empowered Futures make it easier to stay informed, collaborate, and participate in international conferences. The experience, though brief, continues to shape how he approaches energy social science.
Looking Forward
Hayato Koga’s journey – from witnessing the injustices of Fukushima to challenging dominant energy imaginaries – reflects his commitment to critical inquiry and transformative thinking. His work reminds us that energy transitions are not just technical challenges, but deeply social and political processes.
As he continues to explore new dimensions of energy governance, one reflection stands out:
“Empowered Futures is a really big part of my PhD… it really affects how I think about energy social science.”