Nuclear power
August 9, 2011
As Japan commemorated the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, and at the same time struggles to deal with the nuclear disaster that struck the country earlier this year, many officials insisted it was time to reduce the reliance on nuclear power and to turn to alternative and renewable sources of energy.
Tomihisa Taue, the mayor of Nagasaki, said Tuesday that Japan must promote the development of renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind and biomass, to transform the country "into a society with a safer energy base."
The Fukushima disaster has changed the way many Japanese people see nuclear energy, with many now in favor of completely abolishing the nuclear industry, or at least reducing its capacities significantly. This represents a significant change of mentality, said Reinhard Zöllner from Bonn University.
Commemoration held in a different spirit this year
This year for the first time, "the ceremonies at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were held in the spirit of protest against both nuclear bombs and nuclear energy," Zöllner told Deutsche Welle.
Soon after the war, Japan vowed never to make atomic weapons but it did embrace nuclear power - partly out of a concern to not be dependent on imported resources.
"As US President Eisenhower declared in his 1953 speech on 'atoms for peace,' nuclear energy was globally considered completely separate from nuclear weapons," in Japan, Zölllner explained.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan has said he wants to reflect on the "security myth" of nuclear energy.
Until March, Japan relied on nuclear power for about 30 percent of its energy needs and had planned to boost that to 50 percent by 2030 but the government has since announced a review of that plan.
Only 16 of Japan's 54 reactors are currently operational, with most of the closed plants now undergoing safety checks.
New watchdog for nuclear safety
Tokyo has also decided to set up a new watchdog for nuclear safety within the ministry of environment.
Zöllner explained that there was a "strong feeling" that the watchdog should be "more independent and reliable." He added that "several high-ranking officials from the existing agencies were released from their duties after it turned out they had tried to manipulate public opinion in favor of the atomic industry."
However, Andrew DeWit from the Department of Policy Studies at Tokyo’s Rikkyo University told Deutsche Welle argued that the "nuclear village still has enormous political power."
"Japan has lots of renewable resources that aren't being utilized because of a strong nuclear lobby. The electrical power industry has basically learned zero from the crisis because they don’t recognize it as that much of a failure. They want to go ahead with nuclear energy plans as the only real alternative energy. They don’t accept defeat," he said.
DeWitt also explained that there was a strong antipathy within the ruling party against Naoto Kan's recommendations that Japan should rely less upon nuclear energy.
"A large section of his own party and the nuclear village wants to get rid of him," he pointed out.
Currently, renewable energy accounts only for 10 percent of Japan’s energy usage. Naoto Kan, who wants to latch on to public opinion, has said he wants to increase this to 20 percent by 2020, concentrating mostly on wind, solar, or geothermal energy.
Author: Shivani Mathur
Editor: Anne Thomas