Japan Opts for Nuclear Energy Shift as Global Fuel Shortage Persists Following Russia-Ukraine War

As there is still a global fuel shortage following the Russia-Ukraine war, Japan has announced its intention to turn back to nuclear energy.

On Thursday, Japan adopted a plan to extend the lives of nuclear reactors, replace aging ones, and even build new ones. This is a significant change for a nation still recovering from the Fukushima disaster, which had previously intended to phase out atomic energy.

The announcement was Japan's leaders' clearest commitment yet after remaining silent on touchy subjects such as the likelihood of constructing new reactors. Japan's leaders have started to turn back toward nuclear energy during global fuel shortages, price hikes, and pressure to reduce carbon emissions.

Nuclear Energy Shift, 17 Reactors, Stricter Standards

Japan will increase the use of its current reactors under the new policy by restarting as many of them as it can and extending the operational lives of aging ones past the 60-year mark. Additionally, the government committed to creating next-generation reactors.

Multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were caused by a strong earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011. This heightened the anti-nuclear sentiment in Japan and eventually prompted the government to pledge to phase out the technology by 2030. However, the government has since reaffirmed its commitment to the technology, setting a goal for nuclear to account for 20% to 22% of the nation's energy supply by the end of this decade.

Although the Fukushima disaster resulted in stricter safety standards, restart approvals for idle nuclear reactors have been slow to come. In the last ten years, utility companies have requested restarts at 27 reactors. Only 10 have started operating again after 17 have passed safety inspections.

Future of Nuclear Energy in Japan

The new policy asserts that nuclear energy plays a crucial role in achieving stability in supply and carbon neutrality as a carbon-free baseload source of energy and makes a commitment to continue using nuclear energy in the future. The necessary bills will be submitted to Parliament after the policy is approved by the Cabinet, according to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, World Nuclear News reports.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority, Japan's nuclear watchdog, approved the plan on Wednesday. New safety inspection regulations still require enactment into law and parliamentary approval.

Shinichi Yamanaka, the commissioner of the regulation authority, claimed that the new safety regulations, which call for operational permits every ten years after 30 years, will be safer than the current option for a one-time 20-year extension for reactors older than 40 years.

The new policy was adopted on Thursday, less than four months after Kishida established the GX (Green Transformation) Implementation Council, a group of outside experts and ministers who were tasked with exploring all options to draft a new strategy that would address global fuel shortages during Russia's conflict with Ukraine and aim to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Restarting / Replacing Reactors

In Japan, the majority of nuclear reactors are older than 30 years. Four reactors that have been in use for more than 40 years have been permitted to continue using them, and one of them is already operational, ABC News reports.

Per the new policy, Japan will also promote the creation of innovative, next-generation reactors to replace the 20 or so reactors that are currently slated for decommissioning.

Reaching the government's target of increasing nuclear energy's share in Japan's energy supply to 20% to 22% by 2030 will require adding about 27 reactors, from the current 7% level and 10 reactors. Additionally, because reactors could not be restarted quickly enough, the new policy does nothing to address impending supply shortages.

Survivor's Plight

Although the general public's perception of nuclear power has changed since Fukushima, opponents continue to claim that the final waste management, as well as necessary safety precautions, are taken into account, nuclear power is neither flexible nor even cheaper than renewable energy sources and that it can result in unimaginable damage in the event of an accident.

A Fukushima disaster survivor named Ruiko Muto described the new policy as "extremely disappointing." She continued by saying that the government appears to have already forgotten about the Fukushima disaster, which is still ongoing.

The regulation authority was criticized on Wednesday following revelations by a civil group that some of its experts had discussed specifics with officials from the industry ministry before the watchdog was formally asked to consider a change in the rules for outdated reactors, despite their required independence.

The government will work harder to identify potential locations for a final repository for Japan's unrecovered high-level nuclear waste, according to Prime Minister Kishida. Two Hokkaido small towns have started conducting preliminary studies, which has infuriated some locals, AP News reports.