14 Years On: Japan Govt Does About-Face on Nuclear Policy

   Tokyo, March 11 (Jiji Press)--Japan's government has compiled a policy to make full use of nuclear power, a major shift from its stance of reducing the country's dependence on such energy, adopted in the wake of the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station 14 years ago.
   As reasons for the about-face, the government cited the need to ensure stable electricity supplies and secure carbon-free energy sources.
   But it is uncertain whether the policy shift can obtain public understanding, with many people still concerned about the safety of nuclear power following the severe accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, which was heavily damaged in the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami.
   In September 2012, the administration of then Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan adopted a new energy strategy that sought to end nuclear power generation in the 2030s.
   After the Liberal Democratic Party returned to power shortly afterward, however, the administration of then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reversed this policy. A basic energy policy adopted by the Abe government in 2014 described nuclear power as an important baseload power source while noting that the country's dependence on nuclear power should be reduced as much as possible.

(2025/03/11-18:50)

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