Japan PM urges nuclear-free future

Tokyo (AFP)
July 13, 2011

Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Wednesday that the country must gradually reduce its reliance on atomic power with the eventual goal of becoming nuclear-free.

Four months after the March 11 quake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima nuclear accident, the world's worst since Chernobyl 25 years ago, Kan has argued that Japan must boost solar, wind and other renewables.

Speaking in a televised press conference, the embattled premier said: "By reducing reliance on nuclear power gradually, we will aim to become a society which can exist without nuclear power."

Kan had earlier announced a full review of Japan's energy plan, under which atomic power had been set to meet over half of demand by 2030, up from about one third before the massive quake disaster.

But the premier went a step further Wednesday by outlining his goal of the eventual closure of all the more than 50 nuclear reactors in the quake-prone island nation, although he did not give a timeline.

"Considering the grave risk of nuclear accidents, we strongly feel that we cannot just carry on based on the belief that we must only try to ensure (nuclear) safety," he said.

Speaking about the Fukushima accident, which has forced the evacuation of over 80,000 people, he said "it may take five years, 10 years or longer to reach the final stage of decommissioning the reactors".

The premier, a one-time environmental activist, has said he wants to make clean energy sources a new "major pillar" of the energy mix of the world's third biggest economy and major export powerhouse.

"If everything goes as scheduled, a renewable energy bill will be discussed in the Diet (legislature) starting tomorrow," Kan said.

The premier, Japan's fifth in as many years, made the speech at a time when he is under intense pressure to step down from political adversaries who accuse him of having bungled Japan's response to the tsunami disaster.

Kan has butted heads with plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) over the Fukushima accident, and his energy stance has set him on a collision course with pro-nuclear lawmakers and bureaucrats.

With nearly two-thirds of Japan's 54 reactors now shut, mostly for regular checks, Japan is going through a power crunch in the sweltering summer months, and there are fears that outages could slow the already limping economy.

The premier said that "with energy saving efforts, it will be possible to supply all the necessary electricity this summer and winter".

Kan also again suggested that the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), the industry watchdog, has lacked teeth as it is part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry which promotes nuclear power.

"There are many reasons we could not prevent the accident, but in terms of the administrative system, it has always been pointed out that NISA belongs to the industry ministry, which takes the position of promoting nuclear power, as one of the main reasons for not enabling thorough safety checks," he said.

Kan said that NISA will be separated from the ministry, and stressed that a second body, the Nuclear Safety Commission, will cooperate with it in carrying out "stress tests" on all of Japan's nuclear plants.

Anti-nuclear sentiment in Japan has grown since the Fukushima disaster, and many thousands have since protested at a string of rallies against TEPCO and nuclear power and for a shift toward alternative energy.

Radiation fears have mounted this week on news that contaminated beef from six cows at a farm just outside the Fukushima nuclear no-go zone has been shipped across the country and that much of it had likely been eaten.

Telecom giant Softbank has announced plans to build 10 large-scale solar power plants. Its president Masayoshi Son and 36 of Japan's 47 prefectures launched an alliance on Wednesday aimed at boosting renewables.

The mass-circulation Asahi Shimbun daily earlier Wednesday called for a shift toward a nuclear-free society within two or three decades.

The liberal newspaper suggested in its editorial: "How about setting a target of reducing (atomic power) to zero within 20 years, to urge people to make their utmost efforts, and to review the plan every few years?"

Source: Nuclear Power Daily.
Link: http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Japan_PM_urges_nuclear-free_future_999.html.