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Japan joined a U.S.-led declaration to triple the world’s nuclear energy capacity by 2050 from 2020 levels to realize net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Twenty-two countries, including Britain, France and South Korea, supported the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy announced Dec. 2 to coincide the COP28 U.N. climate conference being held here.
The declaration “recognizes the key role of nuclear energy in achieving global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and keeping the 1.5-degree goal within reach,” read a statement released by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The International Energy Agency previously said the world needs to more than double its nuclear energy capacity by 2050 to keep the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above the pre-industrial level.
Proponents say nuclear power plants are essential to decarbonization of power sources because they do not emit greenhouse gases when generating electricity.
There were 436 nuclear power plants around the world as of 2023, providing about 10 percent of electricity generated, according to figures compiled by the World Nuclear Association.
The decision by the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to promote nuclear power reverses the policy to reduce the nation’s dependence on atomic energy that was adopted after the catastrophic triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in 2011.
The policy on green transformation, approved by the Kishida Cabinet in February, called for “maximum utilization” of nuclear power side by side with renewable energy, allowing for the construction of new nuclear reactors and operation of existing reactors beyond the previous limit of 60 years.
Under the basic energy plan, the government plans to raise the ratio of nuclear power generation, currently less than 10 percent, to 20-22 percent by fiscal 2030.
However, only 12 nuclear reactors have been restarted since the Fukushima disaster when all nuclear facilities were shut down, making it difficult to achieve this goal. The hurdle will be even higher for the construction of new reactors.
A government official maintained that nuclear power will be a stable source of electricity for decarbonization and help promote related industries through exports.
“There is no reason (for Japan) not to endorse (the declaration),” the official said.
The Fukushima nuclear disaster resulted in the forced evacuation of people from their homes, many of whom have still not been able to return.
“There is no room to utilize unsafe nuclear power to accelerate necessary decarbonization,” said Masayoshi Iyoda of the environmental nongovernmental organization 350.org Japan.
