Coal. Typically used as a baseload source for power generation, coal remains an important fuel, and coal-fired generators accounted for nearly 27% of Japan's electric capacity in 2010, according to the FEPC and the International Energy Agency (IEA). Domestic coal production ended in 2002, and Japan began importing all of its coal, primarily from Australia. Japan imported 204 million short tons of coal in 2012, a slight increase from 194 million short tons in 2011. Japan had been the largest global coal importer for three decades until 2011, when, according to World Coal Association estimates, China surpassed Japan by a narrow margin. By 2012, this gap widened as Chinese coal imports grew.