nuclear-news

Japan’s nuclear shutdown and political uncertainty

Japan plays nuclear power politics, Star Tribune,   by: THE ECONOMIST  May 7, 2012
“…….So powerful is the symbolism of having no nuclear plants in operation that Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has tried to get at least two reactors back up and running. He has failed, and now his political opponents may try to make capital out of this

…….What both main parties fear is that the nuclear debate could become an electoral issue in what promises to be a stormy summer……
The government’s attempt to restart the reactors comes even before a new regulatory body has been established with the transparency, independence and technical ability that its predecessors lacked. It comes before any attempt has been made to clarify the chain of command for handling such accidents

Yet an election may play into the hands not of the LDP, the official opposition, but rather of a nationalist firebrand, Mayor Toru
Hashimoto of Osaka. That city’s 2.6 million inhabitants get power from
Kansai Electric, operator of the plant at Oi in Fukui prefecture that
Noda wants to restart. Nevertheless, Hashimoto has loudly protested
the plan. He has called for stronger safety measures and demanded that
cities such as Osaka, within a 62-mile radius of Oi, should have a say
on whether they are safe.

The government is trying to shrug Hashimoto off. Analysts say,
however, that his Osaka-based party, while parochial now, could use
the anti-nuclear issue as part of a platform to vault to national
prominence in a general election.

If the election hinges on Fukushima, neither big political party will
relish the result…..
http://www.startribune.com/business/150502685.html

May 10, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics