Nuclear Power Still on the Books in Japan

By on September 21, 2012 in News 8

Picture: By Hirorinmasa (CC)

Less than a week after announcing a plan to abandon Nuclear Power by the 2030′s, Hiroko Tabuchi at NYtimes.com reports that the Japanese government will not be implementing that plan:

Motohisa Furukawa, the national strategy minister, announced the original plan last week, releasing a document titled the “Revolutionary Energy and Environment Strategy” that said Japan would seek to eliminate nuclear power within 28 years through greater reliance on renewable energy, conservation and the use of fossil fuels. On Wednesday, he defended the cabinet’s omission of the 2040 deadline, saying the government had intended to use it as a reference point.

Furkukawa’s administration has been busy reassuring the public that the government is committed to creating a better system of regulation for the industry. Lapses in regulation have been pinpointed as one of the deficiencies that led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. These lapses, critics say, were a consequence of a far too cozy relationship between government regulators and the industry they were supposed to be policing. Furukawa’s reassurances have been met with skepticism: one of the officials tapped to lead a new committee in charge of regulation was previously tasked with making Japan’s nuclear industry stronger.

Read more here.

 

, , ,

  • Papa smurf

    I dont know much about the engineering behind nuclear power plants but I do know that it should not be at a tsunami prone coast line.

    • Anarchy Pony

      That was my very first thought the moment I heard about this whole disaster.

    • Anarchy Pony

      That was my very first thought the moment I heard about this whole disaster.

    • mannyfurious

      Yeah, when you consider the age of the plant and the fact that it was built only to sustain through an earthquake somewhat weaker than the one that hit, it’s actually pretty impressive how well the thing held up. 

      I’m actually annoyed by the anti-nuke power groups. Like most other kinds of energy we have at our disposal, there are strengths and weaknesses of nuclear power. Until “green energy” becomes more abundant, nuclear energy is probably the cleanest energy we have at the moment that can actually provide the kind of power we need. 

      But, yeah, it certainly helps not to build these things in areas that are particularly vulnerable to apocalyptic natural disasters….

    • mannyfurious

      Yeah, when you consider the age of the plant and the fact that it was built only to sustain through an earthquake somewhat weaker than the one that hit, it’s actually pretty impressive how well the thing held up. 

      I’m actually annoyed by the anti-nuke power groups. Like most other kinds of energy we have at our disposal, there are strengths and weaknesses of nuclear power. Until “green energy” becomes more abundant, nuclear energy is probably the cleanest energy we have at the moment that can actually provide the kind of power we need. 

      But, yeah, it certainly helps not to build these things in areas that are particularly vulnerable to apocalyptic natural disasters….

  • http://buzzcoastin.posterous.com BuzzCoastin

    how disheartening
    when Japan announced they were leave Nucs
    I believed every word printed about it
    and was so sure they were telling the truth
    my faith in the Japanese governments veracity is shaken to the core
    it makes me question whether or not other governments might by lying too

    I hope I’m wrong about my speculations
    I’m sure there must be some kind of mistake in this article

    • KG

       I agree with you wholeheartedly. Hearing the initial news made me excited. Since Japan is a first-world country with the means (at least more means than other countries) to pursue something like this, and because they use so much power, I thought that they could really revolutionize and lead the world in a new approach to generating power.

      According to the article, the people of Japan support phasing out nuclear power, so I haven’t lost any respect obviously for Japanese individuals. Their government, though, just took a major blow to their reputation in my book. How unfortunate that the Japanese government should cave to big business so easily. The decision is disrespectful to the people of Japan, and to all who suffered because of these disasters.

    • KG

       I agree with you wholeheartedly. Hearing the initial news made me excited. Since Japan is a first-world country with the means (at least more means than other countries) to pursue something like this, and because they use so much power, I thought that they could really revolutionize and lead the world in a new approach to generating power.

      According to the article, the people of Japan support phasing out nuclear power, so I haven’t lost any respect obviously for Japanese individuals. Their government, though, just took a major blow to their reputation in my book. How unfortunate that the Japanese government should cave to big business so easily. The decision is disrespectful to the people of Japan, and to all who suffered because of these disasters.