Japan chooses nuclear power to solve the energy crisis

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will use nuclear reactors to help reduce his own and other countries' dependence on Russian energy. A courageous choice, given the problems we have had in the past with nuclear energy

Japan has become more dependent on Russian gas since it closed nuclear reactors following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, in which an earthquake and tsunami triggered a meltdown, devastating its northeastern region. Unfortunately, in the face of the elections in July and the increase in energy prices that are squeezing voter budgets, Kishida said that nuclear power will be part of the country's future energy policy. He said Japan will address the "vulnerability of our energy self-sufficiency" by expanding sources of supply, investing in green energy and relying on nuclear energy.

" We will use nuclear reactors with safety guarantees to contribute to the worldwide reduction of dependence on Russian energy, " Kishida told an audience in London's financial district.

" Restarting just one existing nuclear reactor would have the same effect as supplying 1 million tons of new LNG [liquefied natural gas] per year to the global market ."

More than a decade after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl, nuclear power remains a tough issue in Japan, where only a handful of its 30 power plants are currently in operation. Contrary to what apparently happens in the West, the majority of the public and businesses want the government to restart nuclear reactors to address energy security , with the Ukrainian crisis and rising energy costs adding momentum to this change of opinion.

Kishida addressed the City of London with pro-investment messages: “Japan is a purchase”.

It said 150 trillion yen (1.16 trillion dollars) of investments would be raised over the next decade to meet its carbon neutrality goals by 2050 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 46% by 2030. In this case, the climatic battle coincides with the political-strategic one.

Japan has made a strong energy choice of its own, to rely on a much safer mix when it comes to the country's strategic supply. Which European countries will have the courage to make such a strong choice?

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The article Japan chooses Nuclear power to solve the energy crisis comes from ScenariEconomici.it .

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This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/il-giappone-sceglie-il-nucleare-per-risolvere-la-crisi-energetica/ on Sun, 08 May 2022 10:32:54 +0000.