nuclear-news

Japan’s new government hand in glove with the old “nuclear village”

the public
remains sceptical about industry promises to mend its ways after
decades of collusion with regulators and pro-nuclear politicians.

But those concerns are unlikely to hold much sway with the LDP, which
helped develop Japan’s “nuclear village” – the web of power utilities,
bureaucrats and MPs who peddled the nuclear dream and shunned rigorous
regulation…..

Japan seeks to reverse commitment to phase out nuclear power, Justin
McCurry in Tokyo guardian.co.uk, Friday 11 January 2013  The Fukushima
Daiich meltdown prompted the previous government to pledge a phaseout
of all 50 reactors in Japan Almost two years after the triple meltdown
at Fukushima Daiichi power plant sent shockwaves around the world,
Japan’s government is attempting to resell the nuclear dream to a
traumatised public.

Japan appeared to have ended its addiction to nuclear power when the
previous centre-left government pledged last year to phase out all of
the country’s 50 working reactors by 2040.

The announcement marked a dramatic shift from pre-Fukushima plans to
increase Japan’s dependence on nuclear from 30% to 50% by 2030. For
the emboldened anti-nuclear lobby, it heralded the start of an
unprecedented shift towards renewable energy.

But the return to office last month of the conservative Liberal
Democratic party (LDP) under Shinzo Abe effectively killed off the
idea of a non-nuclear Japan. It was no coincidence that within days of
the LDP victory, Tepco, the firm that operates Fukushima Daiichi, saw
a dramatic rise in its share price – but nowhere near the level it was
before the accident…..
It could take months – perhaps years – before a significant number of
reactors are switched back on. And while anti-nuclear candidates
performed abysmally in last month’s general election, the public
remains sceptical about industry promises to mend its ways after
decades of collusion with regulators and pro-nuclear politicians.

But those concerns are unlikely to hold much sway with the LDP, which
helped develop Japan’s “nuclear village” – the web of power utilities,
bureaucrats and MPs who peddled the nuclear dream and shunned rigorous
regulation…..
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/11/japan-reverse-nuclear-phase-out

January 11, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics