TOKYO - Japan’s nuclear policy, forced into a turning point by the catastrophic accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, has undergone a sweeping shift as the country moves from a nationwide shutdown of reactors to a steady resumption of operations.
The Tomari No. 3 reactor operated by Hokkaido Electric Power, whose restart was approved on November 29th, went offline in the year following the Great East Japan Earthquake, leaving all reactors across the country suspended at one point, but pressure to stabilize electricity supply soon pushed the government toward reconsidering its stance.
Edano, who was the economy, trade and industry minister at the time, said he “deeply understood how severe the consequences of electricity shortages would be for people described as socially vulnerable,” highlighting intensifying concerns over tight supply and demand. The government began supporting restarts, beginning with Kansai Electric Power’s Oi plant, and the return of the Liberal Democratic Party to power further accelerated this trend, with the Kishida administration shifting its policy from “reducing reliance as much as possible” to “maximizing utilization.”
Prime Minister Takaichi has also made clear that she intends to use nuclear energy on the premise of safety, saying “a stable and affordable supply of energy is indispensable for sustaining daily life, domestic industry, and enhancing regional competitiveness.”
Japan currently has 33 completed nuclear reactors that have not been decommissioned, and 14 of them—more than 40 percent—have restarted since the Fukushima accident. Last week, the governor of Niigata Prefecture expressed consent for the restart of Tokyo Electric Power’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, which was involved in the Fukushima disaster, saying the prefecture “would agree” to the move, pushing the national trend toward reactor restarts further forward.
However, this renewed momentum also intensifies scrutiny over whether the lessons from the Fukushima accident are truly being applied, a question Japan will continue to face.
Source: TBS
