nuclear-news

Fukushima Watch: Former PM Kan Sets Out Vision for Nuclear-Free Japan, WSJ, August 1, 2012, By Eleanor Warnock Former Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, whose term was marked by the earthquake and tsunami last year, furthered his reinvention as an anti-nuclear activist on Tuesday with a press conference to call for an end to nuclear power in Japan . “After March 11, it’s fair to say I changed my thinking [on nuclear energy] 180 degrees,” he told reporters in Tokyo.

“When I saw that the country was in such a precarious situation, I thought, ‘What is a safe nuclear plant anyway?’ My conclusion was that safety is only possible in a society that doesn’t rely on nuclear power,” the 65-year-old former leader said……  He said that his goal is to get parliament to pass a proposal — drafted by Mr. Kan and other lawmakers — to phase out nuclear power and increase Japan’s share of renewable energy from 10% in 2010 to 38% by 2025 …..  That goes further than three scenarios currently being considered under the government’s new long-term energy strategy: phase out nuclear power by 2030 , cut it to 15% of the country’s energy supply or maintain current levels around 20-25%…. “What I have to do now is steer the DPJ…in the direction of abandoning nuclear power,” he said. “How to react to the accident that happened in Japan is something that transcends party lines.”… http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2012/08/01/fukushima-watch-former-pm-kan-sets-out-vision-for-nuclear-free-japan/

August 2, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized