Japan: Deeply enmeshed in the global nuclear industrial complex

The key is that the nuclear village retains veto power over national energy policy and citizens will not get to decide the outcome even if an overwhelming majority support phasing out nuclear energy. In addition, Washington is leaning on the Japanese government to not pull the plug on nuclear energy.

Japan: Deeply enmeshed in the global nuclear industrial complex Abe’s Nuclear Energy Policy and Japan’s Future 安倍首相の原子力政策と日本の未来 Jeff Kingston : http://www.japanfocus.org/-Jeff-Kingston/3986#sthash.CV9q1CUY.dpuf http://www.japanfocus.org/-Jeff-Kingston/3986“……..Why has Fukushima not been a game changing event? The institutions of Japan’s nuclear village (principally the utilities, bureaucracy and Diet) enjoy considerable advantages in terms of energy policymaking and have enormous investments at stake. The nuclear village has openly lobbied the government and actively promoted its case in the media while also working the corridors of power and backrooms where energy policy is decided. Here the nuclear village enjoys tremendous advantages that explain why it has prevailed over public opinion concerning national energy policy.

Its relatively successful damage control is an object lesson in power politics. To some extent the lessons of Fukushima are not being ignored as the utilities are belatedly enacting safety measures that should already have been in place, and renewable energy capacity is increasing rapidly, but a nuclear-free Japan by 2030 increasingly seems unlikely. If the NRA approves all the applications for reactor restarts filed in July 2013, they could provide 10% of Japan’s electricity generating capacity and that could provide momentum for further restarts. The politics of nuclear power, especially under the LDP, means that the risks are being downplayed while Team Abe touts nuclear energy as the best and most cost-effective option. Indeed, the constant drum-beat about fuel import induced trade deficits and mounting power company losses, makes it seem as if restarting nuclear reactors is the only reasonable choice.

And even if the public remains skeptical about nuclear safety, Team Abe’s Environment Ministry has “eliminated” nuclear risks by deleting mention of them from its 2013 White Paper. While the 2012 White Paper terms radioactive contamination the “biggest environmental issue”, a year later this risk has vanished. (Asahi 6/4/2013) If only it were so easy!

Furthermore, the power network promoting nuclear energy is not planning to go out of business at home or overseas. Indeed, PM Abe has played a prominent role in promoting reactor exports as his government sees significant market opportunities in exporting nuclear power plants precisely because Japan is at the nexus of the global nuclear industrial complex.

While the large demonstrations and signs of a more robust civil society in 2012 undermined stereotypes of Japanese deference to authority and sparked a degree of euphoria about the prospects of phasing out nuclear energy, it is important to bear in mind the huge obstacles. The key is that the nuclear village retains veto power over national energy policy and citizens will not get to decide the outcome even if an overwhelming majority support phasing out nuclear energy. In addition, Washington is leaning on the Japanese government to not pull the plug on nuclear energy.

So DeWit (2013a, 2013b) is right about Japan’s burgeoning green revolution creating compelling facts on the ground, but this it is not an either/or choice; ramping up renewable energy doesn’t preclude restarting reactors. The utilities want to replace fuel imports with nuclear power to stem losses and recoup their massive investment. However, by ignoring many of the lessons of Fukushima, and fast tracking restarts even as the nuclear crisis lingers, the government and utilities continue to downplay risk, leaving Japan vulnerable to another nuclear accident. – http://www.japanfocus.org/-Jeff-Kingston/3986#sthash.CV9q1CUY.dpuf

November 27, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics international, secrets,lies and civil liberties

1 Comment »

While the nuclear threat on Fukushima NPP is more real than ever, new “nuclear scare” is not a realistic option for any modern country striving to achieve energy self-sufficiency. The root problems behind the series of accidents on Fukushima Daiichi emergency scene are not environmental. They were caused by poor engineering and inadequate operating safety. An official Japanese government investigation concluded that the original Fukushima accident was a “man-made” disaster, caused by “collusion” between government, Tepco and bad reactor design, BBC reported. Two companies (the builder and the operator) responsible for the catastrophe should stop passing the buck and take full public responsibility for the tragic event that is undermining the nuclear industry. – http://routemag.com/2013/11/25/nuclear-threat-on-fukushima-npp-is-more-real-than-ever/

Comment by Route Magazine | November 27, 2013 | Reply

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