Japan is looking to fire up its use of atomic energy once again , marking a major change of centre from the previous decade that formed in the backwash of the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in 2011 .
Back in November , Japan said it will look into keeping some atomic reactors operate beyond the current 60 - twelvemonth limit and develop next - generation reactors to supervene upon them , Associated Pressreports . Some parts of the politics are even drive to build up new nuclear exponent works .
Just last week , the newfangled suggestion wasreportedlygiven the green light from Japan ’s atomic guard dog , bring home the bacon the clean-cut indicant yet that the Nipponese government activity is change its posture on nuclear power .
All of this comes off the back of the imperativeness that many countries are face , primarily theglobal vim crisisand the urgent need tophase out fossil fuels .
Although atomic powerdoes come withits ownenvironmental issues , it can generate huge amounts of energy while produce comparatively little carbon paper emissions compare to fossil fuel . As such , subject area have shownhow nuclear energy could become all important in achieving the target of zero emission by mid - century and staving off theworst of the climate crisis .
It ’s also evident that Japan rely intemperately on the global vigour markets , importingabout90 pct of its DOE from elsewhere .
However , the tragical legacy of theFukushima atomic disasterremains impregnable in Japan . On March 11 , 2011 , an earthquake and a 15 - meter ( 49 - metrical foot ) tsunami stuck three reactors at the sea - side nuclear mightiness plant in northeasterly Japan , sparking a catastrophic series of meltdowns .
Due to the harmful radioactive isotopes that were spewed into the surrounding environment , nearly 160,000 residents were evacuated and Nipponese authorization implemented a 30 - kilometer ( over 18 - mile ) exclusion zone around the office plant .
In the following years , Japan ’s nuclear energy industry almostground to a standstillwith authorities suspend operations at 46 of the res publica ’s 50 useable exponent reactor . atomic power accounted for about a third of Japan ’s energy using up prior to Fukushima , but it had fallen to around 7 percent by 2019 .
Much of this decline was driven by strong public foeman to nuclear energy . In the 2010s , a prominentanti - nuclear movementsprung up in Japan and thousands lease part in street protests asking the government to not return to atomic power .
Over a decade has now go through since the disaster . Some strong resistance to nuclear vim still be , but attitude among the wider universe have eased . When it comes to managing the vigor woe of the 2020s , it looks like Japan is going to have to somehow balance the scars of the yesteryear with the new challenge the world faces .
