An anti-nuclear protest at the Prime Minister's official residence, July 13, 2012. (photo: TomoyukiTsuchiya / Flickr)
Aug 29, 2012
Public pressure to abandon nuclear power may be prompting a rethink in Japan's energy future.
The Japanese people made their nuclear-free wish clear after the government conducted polls, hearings and solicited comments in July and August on the country's future energy policy. The panel analyzing the results said, "We can say with certainty that a majority of citizens want to achieve a society that does not rely on nuclear power generation."
And Economics Minister Motohisa Furukawa confirmed to reporters on Tuesday, "A majority of people are eager to get rid of nuclear power -- that is our conclusion after we discussed a variety of public opinions submitted to the government this time."
Japan's plan in 2010, before the Fukushima disaster, was to increase the nuclear power in electricity production to over 50 percent. But after the disaster, it looked at three other nuclear energy scenarios for 2030--zero percent, 15 percent and 20-25 percent.
With public pressure to completely abandon nuclear energy growing, the government's plan of pursuing the 15% option may be unlikely.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Public pressure to abandon nuclear power may be prompting a rethink in Japan's energy future.
The Japanese people made their nuclear-free wish clear after the government conducted polls, hearings and solicited comments in July and August on the country's future energy policy. The panel analyzing the results said, "We can say with certainty that a majority of citizens want to achieve a society that does not rely on nuclear power generation."
And Economics Minister Motohisa Furukawa confirmed to reporters on Tuesday, "A majority of people are eager to get rid of nuclear power -- that is our conclusion after we discussed a variety of public opinions submitted to the government this time."
Japan's plan in 2010, before the Fukushima disaster, was to increase the nuclear power in electricity production to over 50 percent. But after the disaster, it looked at three other nuclear energy scenarios for 2030--zero percent, 15 percent and 20-25 percent.
With public pressure to completely abandon nuclear energy growing, the government's plan of pursuing the 15% option may be unlikely.
Public pressure to abandon nuclear power may be prompting a rethink in Japan's energy future.
The Japanese people made their nuclear-free wish clear after the government conducted polls, hearings and solicited comments in July and August on the country's future energy policy. The panel analyzing the results said, "We can say with certainty that a majority of citizens want to achieve a society that does not rely on nuclear power generation."
And Economics Minister Motohisa Furukawa confirmed to reporters on Tuesday, "A majority of people are eager to get rid of nuclear power -- that is our conclusion after we discussed a variety of public opinions submitted to the government this time."
Japan's plan in 2010, before the Fukushima disaster, was to increase the nuclear power in electricity production to over 50 percent. But after the disaster, it looked at three other nuclear energy scenarios for 2030--zero percent, 15 percent and 20-25 percent.
With public pressure to completely abandon nuclear energy growing, the government's plan of pursuing the 15% option may be unlikely.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.