10 Years On: Japan's Nuclear Policy Remains Stalled
Posted: 28th February 2021
From Nippon.com
Economy Politics Feb 26, 2021Fukushima, Feb. 26 (Jiji Press)—Japan’s policy of making active use of nuclear energy, promoted for more than a half century, has been stalled because safety concerns among the public remain strong 10 years after the country’s worst nuclear accident.
Before the March 2011 accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station, 54 nuclear reactors were in operation across the country.
Nuclear power generation completely stopped in the nation after the unprecedented triple meltdown accident. Since then, only nine reactors have been brought back online after consent from local communities concerned was obtained.
A key question is how nuclear energy, which has been promoted as the country’s main source of power, will be referred to in the government’s next basic energy policy, critics said.
Nuclear power accounted for around 30 pct of all energy sources for electricity generation in Japan before the accident at the TEPCO power station in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, which was caused by the March 11, 2011, powerful earthquake and tsunami.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]