Japan remembers man- made nuclear disaster
When a huge earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011, devastating towns and triggering nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima, a stunned world watched the chaotic battle to support the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
An onslaught of waves sparked by the 9.0-magnitude quake crashed in to the northeastern coast, killing practically 20,000 persons and crippling the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant. More than 160,000 residents fled as radiation spewed in to the air.
At that time, some - including Prime Minister Naoto Kan - feared Tokyo would have to be evacuated, or worse. "Fukushima is stamped for all of those other history of nuclear energy," said Kiyoshi Kurokawa, head of an investigation that concluded the disaster was "profoundly man-made". The federal government has spent about $300 billion (32.1 trillion yen) to rebuild the tsunami-devastated Tohoku region, but areas around the Fukushima plant remain off-limits, worries about radiation levels linger and many who left have settled elsewhere. Decommissioning of the crippled plant will take decades and billions of dollars. Japan is again debating the role of nuclear power in its energy mix as the resource-poor country aims to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050 to fight global warming. But an NHK public TV survey showed 85% of the general public worries about nuclear accidents.
Energy policy was left in limbo after Shinzo Abe led his pro-nuclear energy Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) back to power the year after the disaster, ousting the novice Democratic Party of Japan, whose image was tainted by its handling of Fukushima. "They type of left things adrift," said Tobias Harris, senior vice president at consultancy Teneo and writer of a book about Abe.
Kurokawa's commission, appointed by parliament, concluded in 2012 that the Fukushima accident was "the result of collusion between your government, regulators and Tokyo ENERGY Co" and too little governance. Abe resigned this past year, citing illness, and his successor, Yoshihide Suga, has announced a goal of net carbon neutrality by 2050.
Proponents say nuclear power is essential to decarbonization. Critics say cost, safety and the challenge of storing nuclear waste are reasons to avoid it. "Those discussing atomic power are persons in the 'nuclear village', who would like to protect their vested interests," former Prime Minister Kan told a news conference the other day.
The mass demonstrations against nuclear power observed in the wake of 3/11 have faded, but distrust lingers. A February Asahi newspaper survey discovered that nationwide, 53% are against restarting reactors, weighed against 32% in favour. In Fukushima, only 16% backed bringing restarting units. "A decade have passed plus some people have forgotten. The zeal is fully gone," said Yu Uchiyama, a University of Tokyo political science professor. "Restarts are not happening, so persons think if indeed they just wait, nuclear power will disappear."
Only nine of Japan's 33 remaining commercial reactors have already been approved for restarts under post-Fukushima safety standards and only four are operating, weighed against 54 before the disaster.
Nuclear power supplied just 6% of Japan's energy needs in the first half of 2020 compared with 23.1% for renewable sources - far behind Germany's 46.3% - and practically 70% for fossil fuels. Extending the lifespan of Japan's 33 existing commercial reactors to 60 years, there would be only 18 in 2050 and none by 2069, said Takeo Kikkawa, an adviser to the federal government on energy policy. Newer business lobbies are pushing for renewable energy.
"Japan is a resource-poor country so we ought to not casually abandon the nuclear option," Kikkawa told a media briefing. "However in reality, the continuing future of nuclear power is bleak."
