Japan reverses course on post-Fukushima nuclear ban

13 comments

1. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said today his country would begin not only restarting nuclear plants sitting idle since the Fukushima affair, but will begin building reactors as well.

   The plan is effectively a total reversal of Japan’s post-Fukushima nuclear strategy that saw it shutter existing plants and put a moratorium on new nuclear projects, thus ending an 11-year prohibition on the use of the technology.

   In addition to reigniting existing reactors and building fresh ones, Kishida said the Japanese government would also look into expanding the life expectancy of existing reactors. In many cases, Reuters pointed out, Japan previously decommissioned nuclear plants when they reached 60 years of operation.

2. I love it. It’s time to stop fearing the technology that will be key to a sustainable energy in the future.

3. So will my electricity bill be cheaper soon?

4. Yeah duh!

5. Well thank the gods for this.

   Nuclear is the only clean high-output energy source we have right now. Hopefully Japan works toward gen4 reactors for safety and efficiency.

6. Thanks, Russia!

7. I wonder if those loving it have been in Japan when the hydrogen explosions occured at the Fukushima plant in 2011. The government is not only planning to build new plants, but also extending the lifetime of existing ones beyond 60 years!

8. Good. Nuclear power has no viable alternative for at least another 20-30 years, maybe more.

9. Its now or never for the LDP since the ties to the Unification Church are causing their popularity to dive.

10. Good. No more of those stupid requests to turn my AC off midsummer again please.

11. Yay, cheaper electric bills in the summer

12. Renewables and nuclear are, as it stands, our only hope of getting off of fossil fuels. Renewing ancient plants sounds like a bad idea and a stop-gap at best but this return to nuclear has to happen. Let’s hope the government sees it through.

13. Safety is important, but people cannot survive if the infrastructure of their daily lives is damaged.

    I believe that this summer’s power shortages were worthwhile if they served as an opportunity for many Japanese to understand this.