nuclear-news

Overwhelming public opposition is ignored by Japan’s government in pushing for nuclear power

Energy plan overlooked flat-out opposition to nuclear power, analysis shows Asahi Shimbun, November 12, 2014 By ATSUSHI KOMORI/ Senior Staff Writer The government’s compilation of its basic energy plan ignored an overwhelming call from the public to move away from nuclear energy, according to an analysis by The Asahi Shimbun.

More than 90 percent of the comments submitted to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in response to the government’s proposed plan were against nuclear power, the analysis showed.

Yet nuclear energy was described as an “important base-load electricity source” in the plan approved by the Abe Cabinet in April.

The Asahi received a total of 18,711 comments from the ministry after submitting an information disclosure request.

Among them, 17,665, or 94.4 percent of the total, expressed opposition to restarting operations at nuclear power plants or called for decommissioning them.

Only 213 comments, or 1.1 percent, were in favor of maintaining or further promoting nuclear energy……….

The ministry disclosed 2,109 of the comments in May, with the remainder made available to the Asahi………

In 2012, when the Democratic Party of Japan held the reins of government, it called for a national debate on what rate of power generation nuclear energy should account for in 2030.

About 89,000 public comments were received, with about 90 percent of them in favor of a move away from nuclear energy.http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201411120044

November 15, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, opposition to nuclear