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Around 14 years after the Fukushima disaster, Japan is preparing to increase its nuclear power capacity once again, to a mainly negative public reaction. Japan’s government has developed a revision of the country’s basic energy plan, removing the statement that said it planned to decrease its dependence on nuclear power. This signals the government’s intention to continue using nuclear energy to power the country.
The 2011 Fukushima accident is seen as the second-worst nuclear disaster after the Chornobyl disaster of 1986. On 11th March 2022, a magnitude-9.0 earthquake hit the north of Japan, with the shock from the quake provoking a tsunami, the waves of which damaged the backup generators at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Although all three of the operating reactors were successfully shut down, the loss of power caused cooling systems to fail in each of them. Rising residual heat within each reactor’s core caused the fuel rods in reactors 1, 2, and 3 to overheat and partially melt down, leading to the release of radiation. Three explosions resulted from the buildup of pressurised hydrogen gas in the following days, leading to fears of leaked radiation and the evacuation of tens of thousands of people within a 30 km radius of the plant.
The accident prompted a widespread distrust for nuclear power in Japan that encouraged the government to halt nuclear energy development and introduce targets to reduce the country’s dependence on nuclear power. However, at the beginning of February, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry released a draft revision of the national basic energy plan, removing the statement on plans to move away from nuclear power. Later in the month, the Cabinet approved the revised Seventh Strategic Energy Plan.
The new plan states that Japan should use as much renewable energy and nuclear power as possible to decarbonise the economy. It also says that nuclear energy should contribute around 20 percent of power production by 2040. Before 2011, Japan’s 54 reactors provided around 30 percent of the country’s electricity. However, following the incident, this figure dropped significantly, as the government halted production. Activities have since been renewed at 14 reactors, with nuclear energy now providing less than 10 precent of Japan’s electricity.
The plan states, “Nuclear power has an overwhelmingly large energy output relative to the amount of fuel input, and as a quasi-domestic energy source that can maintain power generation for several years using only domestic fuel, it is a highly autonomous power source with excellent stable supply, and technological self-sufficiency, and has a cost level that is comparable with other power sources and has little fluctuation.” It goes on to say, “It is also a decarbonised power source that can generate power stably at a constant output regardless of the weather.”
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry adds, “In order to utilise nuclear power as a decarbonised power source, we will work to develop and install next-generation innovative reactors that incorporate new safety mechanisms, aiming to improve the safety of nuclear power. In order to ensure a balanced power supply mix, we will work to ensure that operators who have nuclear power plants that have been decommissioned are able to replace their existing nuclear power plants with next-generation innovative reactors.”
To achieve the government’s clean energy targets, experts say 33 reactors must come online. The government is expected to reopen some of its existing nuclear facilities, refitting them with modern technology. However, widespread objections from residents near the sites and thorough safety checks will likely slow the pace of plants recommencing operations.
Daishiro Yamagiwa, an MP who was part of a government advisory committee on the energy plan, said, “[The] most difficult problem is that each nuclear power plant is in a different location and will need its own safety protocol and infrastructure.” Yamagiwa added, “We must check each of them carefully. It still takes time.”
Climate groups are concerned about the potential reopening of Japan’s ageing nuclear facilities. Aileen Smith, the executive director of the Kyoto-based group Green Action, explained, “Nuclear plants are not where the Japanese government should be investing its money… Many nuclear plants are old, and the technology they use is even older. The costs of retrofitting are high, so even operating existing plants is no longer commercially viable.”
Unlike many other countries that use nuclear power, Japan is vulnerable to strong earthquakes, which has raised concerns for the safety of old and new nuclear reactors. Campaigners argue that restarting Japan’s old reactors could leave the country vulnerable to more major accidents like Fukushima. Environmentalists are calling for the government to, instead, focus its attention on the development of Japan’s renewable energy capacity. However, the government sees nuclear power as key to supporting a green transition and achieving its mid-century climate goals.
