Kan slams nuclear energy, goes green

[kristopher]

Kan slams nuclear energy, goes green
2011/05/12

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said his administration intends to dump plans to get half of the nation's future energy needs from nuclear power and instead place greater reliance on renewable energy sources. "I believe there's a need to start from a clean slate in discussing the basic energy plan," Kan said at a news conference May 10.
Kan said further discussions would now be needed on the basic plan, indicating the possibility that approval would not be granted for the construction of new nuclear reactors. Kan said: "While nuclear energy and fossil fuels have been the two main pillars of electric power, we will include renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind and biomass, as a major energy component. We will also create an energy conservation society." ...

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201105110158.html



See also from Asahi Shimbun:

Radiation-contaminated area spans 800 square km, new map shows
2011/05/12

The total area contaminated with radiation from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is estimated at about 800 square kilometers, or about 40 percent the size of Tokyo, according to a radiation map created by the science ministry and U.S. Department of Energy.

...To determine whether the current evacuation zone is appropriate or when residents can return home, the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan plans to set up focal sites to heighten its monitoring of the possible further spread of radioactive contamination. The report's radiation levels were determined in April by measuring, from about 150-700 meters above ground, levels of accumulated radiation on the ground. The areas measured were divided into 1- to 2-square-kilometer zones.

According to the map, about 800 square kilometers are contaminated with accumulated cesium-137 of 600,000 becquerels or higher per square meter. The substance has a half-life of about 30 years.

This area is ... http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201105110159.html


And:
BITTER RETURN: Residents find more misery upon return to village in no-entry zone
BY ATSUSHI MATSUKAWA STAFF WRITER
2011/05/12

KAWAUCHI, Fukushima Prefecture--Hatsuo Sakamoto approached his home carrying a bag of cat food and found the pet he had sorely missed lounging in the garden. When the animal saw its 63-year-old owner, it sprang to its feet and scampered away. "The cat must be startled because it has been two months since we last saw it--and because we look like space aliens," his wife, Yukiko, said with a smile.

The Sakamotos, wearing white radiation protective gear and face masks, were among a group of 92 residents of Kawauchi who were allowed to return home temporarily to collect essential items on May 10. Part of the village lies within the 20-kilometer radius of the hobbled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant that was declared a no-entry zone by the central government on April 22.

About ... http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201105110150.html


And finally:
Local concerns could delay nuclear operations throughout Japan
2011/05/12

Municipalities hosting nuclear power plants are now so nervous about potential accidents that 42 of Japan's 54 commercial reactors could be offline during the peak electricity demand period this summer. That situation could lead to power outages spreading throughout Japan.

Electric power companies are not legally bound to gain the approval of local communities before resuming reactor operations. However, the companies have signed safety agreements with prefectural and municipal governments that make it difficult to resume operations without their consent. Considering the protracted problems at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, local governments are now opposing such plans.

In a ... http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201105110161.html

[madokie]

1. I feel safe in saying that there will be no more nuclear power plants come on line

At least for the foreseeable future.
rec'd

[kristopher]

3. I'd say that is highly probable in Japan.

It is a good sign at the very least.

[flamingdem]

2. I expect this is a political move

but I'd be curious to know about Kan's background and if that has to do with this turnabout.

[kristopher]

4. I'm not so sure...

I think Kan is more of a liberal than most previous PMs. I haven't been closely following Japanese politics for some years now, but the power structure that developed Japan after WWII was headed by the Liberal Democratic Party. They held uninterrupted power until fairly recently and Kan is (I believe) an outsider to that party and the associated business/bureaucratic group. I seem to recall reading that he was already in favor of a stronger effort to develop renewable resources before this happened.