Numbers

August 23, 2012

90 percent of public submissions favor zero nuclear power plants

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120823p2a00m0na010000c.html

About 90 percent of public comments solicited by the government over the nation's future energy policy support the abolition of nuclear power, an analysis of the data released Aug. 22 has shown.

The results of the analysis were reported Aug. 22 at a meeting to review public debate. Of the 89,124 submissions from the public, the government analyzed about 7,000 of them. It found that 81 percent favored immediate abolition of all nuclear power plants, while 8.6 percent favored a shift to a society free of nuclear plants in stages. Altogether, about 4 percent of people said they either supported or permitted nuclear power.

The government will announce statistics on the remaining submissions, numbering about 80,000, once the data has been compiled.

"Rather than interpreting the results numerically, we should focus more on qualitative analysis and the paths leading toward people's views," a member of the review panel commented. Another member said, "Two months of public debate is insufficient for careful deliberation of the issue."

The review gathering will discuss how to utilize public comment and views obtained through deliberative polling in the future. The review of public comments will be reported to the government's Energy and Environment Council with a view to have the outcome reflected in a the nation's new energy and environment strategy.