Ending nuclear power up to the public?

November 14, 2013

EDITORIAL: It is up to the public to end Japan's reliance on nuclear power

 http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/editorial/AJ201311140042

Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi recently fired the latest salvo in his spirited campaign for weaning Japan from its dependence on nuclear energy.

In a speech Nov. 12 at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Koizumi said, “I think it will be good (for Japan) to end (nuclear power generation) immediately.”

It was a brutally clear message from the mouth of a person who had long been at the center of political power.

Koizumi’s argument is very simple. Since it is not realistically possible to find a location to build final disposal facilities for radioactive waste in Japan, nuclear power plants should not be operated. This is the kernel of his case against using atomic energy.

People who are promoting nuclear power have criticized his argument from various angles.

Some of his critics say it is irresponsible to call for an end to nuclear power generation when the nation does not have strong prospect of coming up with reliable alternative energy sources to replace it. Other proponents of nuclear power warn that dependence on thermal power generation would drive up fuel costs and make further increases in electricity rates inevitable.

But it is difficult to refute the straightforward argument made by Koizumi, who says it is “too optimistic and irresponsible to assume that the site for final disposal of nuclear waste can be eventually found in today’s Japan.”

In an opinion poll conducted by The Asahi Shimbun last weekend, 60 percent of the respondents agreed with Koizumi. Among the supporters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, 58 percent agreed.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to reduce Japan’s reliance on nuclear energy as much as possible. But he has also said, “It would be irresponsible for me to promise now to completely abandon nuclear power.”

The Abe administration apparently intends to continue the struggling program to establish a nuclear fuel recycling system that is designed to reprocess spent nuclear fuel for reuse in reactors. However, even if the key reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, could start operation, the program would only further increase Japan’s already massive stockpiles of plutonium for which there is no realistic use. It is glaringly obvious that this program is fundamentally flawed.

This nation has experienced a catastrophic nuclear accident that still forces more than 100,000 people to live as evacuees away from their hometowns near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. But the government and the business community are seeking a way back to the era before the March 11 disaster as if nothing happened.

Many Japanese, exasperated by the nonchalant attitude of political and business leaders toward the risks of nuclear power, have taken to the streets and the Internet to protest plans to restart idled reactors. But policymakers have turned a deaf ear to their voices, making them even more disgruntled. Koizumi’s series of anti-nuclear remarks have resonated deeply among these people.

During his tenure from 2001 to 2006 as prime minister, Koizumi used his brand of sound-bite politics to capture the hearts and minds of people, frequently using catchy and powerful slogans like “I will destroy the LDP.”

His simple and clear political style won overwhelming support of Japanese voters. Capitalizing on his great public popularity, Koizumi revived and pushed through the legislation to privatize the nation’s postal services, a proposal that was once killed by the LDP.

That’s why Koizumi’s anti-nuclear campaign now is irritating and perplexing policymakers of the Abe administration.

The question is how Abe will respond to Koizumi’s calls for the government to pull the plug on nuclear power.

It should not be forgotten that only the people’s strong will to seek a future without nuclear power can give Abe the push he needs.