Monday, November 19, 2012

Nukes, yes please

In mid-September, Japan said it would close all 50 of its nuclear reactors by "the end of the 2030s." Days later, the administration backtracked in the face of opposition from the main business lobby. Although the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has profoundly increased the public's antipathy toward nuclear power, politicians have yet to be convinced. The majority of Japanese people are now against nuclear power, but none of the major political parties are listening to them.  It does not matter to Japan's energy mix which party is in government. The reduction in nuclear power generation has resulted in huge imports of fossil fuels, contributing to the country's biggest trade deficits in decades. It's estimatd that investment in the technology required to make up the nuclear shortfall would require some $627 billion

Jun Okumura
, senior political analyst at the Eurasia Group says "I see all of Japan's reactors, except those that are on fault lines, coming back on line over the next few years,"

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/1105/Japan-s-leaders-give-up-on-quitting-nuclear-power?cmpid=ema:nws:Daily%20Custom%20%2811052012%29&cmpid=ema:nws:NzQ4MDU5MDgwOQS2

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