Nuclear pullout

When Chancellor Angela Merkel's government made a surprise U-turn on its nuclear energy policy, the eyes of industry and environmental groups the world over turned to Germany. The decision ushered in the plan to completely eliminate nuclear power in the country by 2022. This left much to be explained.

"Never have I had so much to do," said BBC correspondent Stephen Evans of his countless live broadcasts from Berlin at the time. He said the most common question leveled at him was why the groundswell of opposition to nuclear power was so great in Germany.

"In Great Britain it's different, because there isn't this great debate about the dangers of nuclear energy. Even after the decision by the Germans," he said.

Mission impossible?

The BBC journalist commented on the level of skepticism in Britain towards the haste with which the German government went back on its previous nuclear policies. "Did the Germans consider carefully enough the consequences?" he asked.

French and US editorialists expressed similar concerns. Both countries have left their nuclear policies unchanged in light of March's Fukushima tragedy in Japan.

The Washington Post labeled the German nuclear exit a "misguided decision" and speculated that coal-fired plants would make a resurgence in the country as a result. This would mean more greenhouse gases and less climate protection. The newspaper opined that in these times of debate over global warming, the move was perhaps the wrong one to make.

The French daily Le Monde asked whether Germany can in fact make the transition to renewable energy. If not, then the country could bring European energy policy down with it, the paper wrote.

Headlines in Japan

Most Japanese news correspondents in Berlin have also had their hands full. While Germany decided to draw down its nuclear sector because of Fukushima, Japan, the source of the focus on nuclear power, has ironically decided to continue with its pre-existing nuclear policies.

"Naturally, we're keeping a close eye on Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power," said Mikio Sugeno, who writes for the Japanese business paper Nikkei. "In Japan, opinion on nuclear power is split. For some, Germany is a role model, whilst others remain critical."

Berlin has yet to explain the logistics of how Germany, which is so energy dependent, will compensate for the loss of electricity generated by nuclear power. "The government has also been silent on how the people will cope with the ensuing problems, such as higher electricity bills," said Sugeno.

Doubts abroad

Japanese broadcaster NHK has also given much attention to the German nuclear debate. The station has gone to great lengths to convey the various arguments of the complex topic. "People from an island nation such as Japan must note that Germany is part of a large European energy market," one reporter explained.

Many Japanese have found the fact that Germany set up an ethics commission to deal with an "economic issue" to be rather interesting. On the one hand, this strikes the Japanese as being typically German. On the other hand, it could form the basis of discussion in their country.

No details please

"This is a very German debate," said Aktham Suliman, the Berlin correspondent for Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera. The ability to master nuclear technology is considered a sign of power within the Arab world, said Suliman, and this is why several countries in the region want to build nuclear plants and why the nuclear discussion in the Arab world is very different compared to the one in Germany.

"But Germany is important, and because of this I've reported on these exceptional energy policies," said Suliman. "But only on the significant lines of discussion. The disposal of nuclear waste, for example, is not of interest to our audience."

Author: Nina Werkhäuser / dfm
Editor: Martin Kuebler