In our analysis of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster that struck Japan in March (2011), we were critical of the Japanese government for choosing nuclear power in a region that is geologically described as the ring of fire. Now, in a move to ensure similar situations do not happen again, Japan’s Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, has promised to cut the country’s reliance on nuclear energy.
In a memorial speech for the 66th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing in World War II delivered in August 2011, Naoto Kan said, “I deeply regret believing in the security myth of nuclear power and will carry out a thorough verification on the cause of this incident and implement fundamental countermeasures to ensure safety. At the same time, Japan will reduce its level of reliance on nuclear power generation with the aim of becoming a society that is not dependent on nuclear power.”
During the passionate speech, Naoto Kan went on to add, “People must never forget, nor repeat, the horrors caused by nuclear weapons here in Hiroshima 66 years ago”. It’s a statement that bears a fair amount of significance in modern day as countries like Pakistan, Iran, North Korea and China continue to be a linked to murmurings about nuclear power and weapons development.
With Japan’s technological sophistication, hopefully the new stance on energy will lead to a host of technological advancements in green energy to compensate for the move away from Nuclear power. The geological instability of the ring of fire super-region alone potentially presents significant opportunities for clean energy generation with options ranging from geothermal vents, wave, water and wind power.
Japan’s biggest issue is that it has very little natural reserves of fossil fuel within its borders, with the possible exception of coal, so they must import substantial amounts of oil, gas, and other energy resources, including nuclear materials like uranium up until the 2011 disaster. However, with the significant CO2 emissions that are intrinsic in coal-based energy plants, the weight is clearly in favour of green alternatives and considering the fact that the country has so much shoreline, wave and wind technology should be firm favourites to take up the challenge that they move away from nuclear power presents.
The country’s current renewable energy production stands at around 10% and they’ve got significant ambitions to elevate this to 20% by 2020. On 1 July 2012, the Japanese government launched new tariffs for renewable energy and these included ¥42 per kWh over the next 20 years to solar power producers, which are amongst the highest in the world, so we can also see solar power being a significant part of Japan’s bid to hit the 20% mark and reducing their reliance on nuclear power.
