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No need for nuclear power in Japan – former Japan PM Naoto Kan

Five years after Fukushima disaster, there’s no need for nuclear power, says former Japan PM Naoto Kan CNBC  by Leslie Shaffer | Interview by Akiko Fujita 6 Mar 2016 As the fifth anniversary of Japan’s massive earthquake and nuclear disaster approaches, the country’s former prime minister said it was time to do without nuclear power.

“If you look at the reality of these last five years, Japan spent two years without a single nuclear plant on line. There are now a few active reactors, but still, that’s only a handful,” Naoto Kan, who was prime minister when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, told CNBC. His comments were translated from Japanese.

“These five years have demonstrated that we can secure enough power without nuclear plants. That’s why I believe we should stay away from the large risk posed by nuclear plants and focus instead on renewable energy by changing our sources of power,” Kan added.

Kan isn’t alone in his opposition to nuclear power; opinion polls have showed that a majority of Japanese people agree. But he blamed the current ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party the recent restart of four reactors, which had been shuttered in aftermath of the disaster. Kan is a member of the Democratic Party of Japan……….http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/06/five-years-after-fukushima-nuclear-disaster-nuclear-power-not-needed-former-japan-pm-naoto-kan-says.html

March 9, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general