Japan is looking to stick with nuclear power for now.
Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda wants to reduce reliance on nuclear power eventually, but for now the focus is reconstruction and rebuilding the economy that was ruined in the March tsunami and earthquake.
Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan called for the nuclear power plants to go offline, but Noda wants the plants restarted so that power shortages can be ended.
“It is not productive to see things in simple black and white, and talk in either anti-nuclear or pro-nuclear terms,” said Noda.
Noda added, “We must move towards our mid- and long-term goals of lowering, as much as possible, our reliance on nuclear energy.”
There will not be any building of new nuclear plants but nuclear power will need to remain a source for the Japanese for some time to come.
Japan already relies on the Middle East for 90% of its imported oil, without any nuclear power it would be very difficult to meet the power needs of the country.
The Japanese people are fearful of another event occurring like the one that happened at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Those who are anti-nuke have taken their protest to the streets and stirred up a debate over the future of atomic energy in Japan. Yet a poll conducted by the Associate Press found that 55 percent of Japanese want to reduce the amount of reactors in the country.
Many people will not speak out against the plan to keep nuclear power around for a while. Many Japanese people are reluctant to defy their government and join in with the anti-nuke groups of people.
If Japan does decrease the amount of nuclear power it uses then the country will most likely revert to more use of liquid gas, according to RBS, which also predicts that Japan will have to rely on the fuel for 34 percent of electricity needs.
Until Next Time,
Cori
