JAPAN_ METI sticks to nuclear energy despite Fukushima plant crisis

METI sticks to nuclear energy despite Fukushima plant crisis
(Mainichi Japan) May 7, 2011


The Hamaoka nuclear power station in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, is pictured in this aerial photo taken from a Mainichi helicopter on Feb. 23, 2011. (Mainichi)

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry still considers nuclear energy one of the three pillars of its long-term energy policy for 2030 to 2050, despite the ongoing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power station, its in-house document showed Friday.

The two other pillars are said to be expanding the use of renewable energy sources, including solar power, and expanding energy-saving efforts by reforming public lifestyle and the nation's industrial structure.

The document notes that as the nuclear crisis has thrown a big question over the safety of nuclear power, the government needs to determine the cause of the accident and drastically reform its safety regulations.

But it also says nuclear energy can be considered as one of Japan's best energy sources in the future if the country pursues safety to the maximum.


A photograph shows the Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture. (Mainichi)

All nuclear power reactors could be shut down in one year if utility firms cannot restart them after they are halted for regular checkups, which would lead to a loss of more than 30 million kilowatts of electricity from pre-disaster level, according to the document.

Thus, Japan needs to promote emergency safety measures for nuclear power plants and secure a supply of electric power from existing reactors, it says.

The March 11 temblor-tsunami disaster, which caused the nuclear emergency, prompted Prime Minister Naoto Kan to review the government's basic energy plan that calls for building 14 new nuclear reactors.

However, the document shows the ministry's conventional stance, which is it sees renewable energy sources costly because solar power is expensive and a large number of storage cells needs to be built for a stable supply of power.

Tetsunari Iida, head of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization, said it is unacceptable that the ministry still puts priority on nuclear power and plays down renewable energy sources, even after the serious nuclear crisis.


A photograph shows the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Kashiwazaki and Kariwa, Niigata Prefecture. (Mainichi)

He stressed the need to promote discussions on Japan's future energy policy under an independent forum in order to reflect citizens' voices.

(Mainichi Japan) May 7, 2011