Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party will elect a new leader next weekwho will also become prime minister, Bloomberg reminds. Most of the nine competing candidates signaled its support for nuclear energy to increase energy security and reduce emissions in an economy that is almost three-quarters dependent on fossil fuels.
As Bloomberg notes, the near-unanimous support for nuclear power will be good news for a sector that has been grappling with uncertainty for years. It also reflects global renaissance of nuclear energy, which arises from the need to meet the growing demand for electricity without further warming the planet.
LDP party leader Kono Taro said he once believed Japan did not need nuclear power, but has since changed his position on the issue. “I have changed my policy a little. We need to allow nuclear power plants to provide power for AI and data centers that are predicted to increase energy demand” Tara said.
A difficult task
Boosting nuclear power will not be an easy task for Japan’s next leader. He will have to satisfy public opinion that is skeptical about the benefits of splitting the atom. The new leader will also have to face strict safety standards imposed following the 2011 accident that slowed the restart of inactive reactors.
Is it time for the return of the atom?
Nuclear power remains a political issue in Japan, especially since a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, triggering the worst disaster since Chernobyl. The country is still grappling with cleaning up the radioactive materials, a process that is expected to take years and cost 23 trillion yen ($161 billion).
In recent years, nuclear power has even gained popularity in Japan. A study by the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun in February found that 50% of respondents support restarting inactive reactorswhile 35% of the surveyed people have the opposite opinion. Currently, 21 of the country’s 33 remaining reactors are shut down.
Japan must prioritize renewable energy sources
Fossil fuels still dominate Japan’s energy mix / Bloomberg
Environmentalists say Japan must also prioritize renewables if it is to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Among its G7 partners, Japan remains the most dependent on fossil fuels, which accounted for more than 70% of its total mix in 2022, while renewables accounted for just one-fifth.
Nuclear power in Japan once made up about a quarter of its energy mix, but has now fallen to just 6 percent. The country aims to increase the share of nuclear energy to 20 to 22 percent by 2030.
