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Ibuki on nukes

March 18, 2014

Lower house speaker clarifies his nuclear phaseout stance

 

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/perspectives/news/20140318p2a00m0na015000c.html 

 

Remarks made by the speaker of the House of Representatives on Japan's phaseout from nuclear power overtook the political world last week. According to some media reports, Bunmei Ibuki was criticizing the Abe administration. But was he really?


I posed the question to Ibuki directly and got a wry response.


"It's not the case. People would realize this if they actually did their homework," he said.

So I did my homework, and this is what I found out:

1. Ibuki is not arguing for the immediate abolition of nuclear power, and is not opposed to the reactivation of nuclear reactors.


2. However, based on his view that nuclear energy represents the arrogance of humankind in believing it can control nature, going against the Japanese tradition of coexisting with nature, he firmly believes that nuclear power must ultimately be phased out.


3. Based on his philosophy of living humbly amid abundance, Ibuki believes a shift must be made from a lifestyle of wasteful electricity use -- including late-night television, excessive lighting and air conditioning, and 24-hour convenience stores.


On March 11, 2014, at a ceremony commemorating the third-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, Ibuki said, "We must carry out exhaustive deliberations with a view toward future nuclear phaseout."


On his Facebook page the previous day he wrote, "We have changed direction toward the ultimate goal of phasing out nuclear power."


Asked about his Facebook post, Ibuki said, "You'll find the same content in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s election pledge."


Despite what he says, however, this is not so clear cut.


Indeed, the LDP's election pledge for the December 2012 general election offers to "aspire to an economic and social structure that does not have to rely on nuclear power." But such phrasing is missing from the party's platform in the July 2013 House of Councillors election.


However, as a native of Kyoto, where Shinto and Buddhist traditions are deeply rooted, and a member of a frugal merchant family, Ibuki's views toward nature and civilization are unwavering.

It's the kind of thinking befitting a man who, out of his passion for cooking simple dishes using seasonal ingredients, published a book of essays and recipes called "Ibuki-tei: Shiki no shokutaku" (Ibuki restaurant: Our dining table throughout the four seasons) in 2008.


So why would Ibuki approve of the reactivation of nuclear reactors, when it would seem to clash with his views toward nature?


"Otherwise we run the risk of foreign financial institutions gaining control of Japan's sovereignty," explained Ibuki, who in the past served as the chief of the Finance Ministry's treasury division.


According to Ibuki, Japan's trade deficit is rising partly because of increased imports of fossil fuels to replace the energy that would have been produced by the halted nuclear reactors. Japan will become impoverished if this situation is drawn out. If corporations and households begin to dig into their savings, Japanese banks will become incapable of buying up government bonds. Such a state of affairs would open up opportunities for foreign financial institutions to buy Japanese government bonds, and depending on how that plays out, interest rates could shoot up, possibly leading to Japan's financial and economic collapse.


Asked if it's not possible to institute reforms toward a more energy-saving form of economy and society before such a collapse takes place, Ibuki said, "I think we should, and that's what I've been saying, but it's also true that such change will not be easy. We have no choice but to overcome our obstacles using a combination of various measures."


As one of the reasons for putting out a book on home cooking, Ibuki wrote, "I wanted people to realize the error of the notion created by television dramas that all politicians need to hang out at expensive Japanese restaurants."


"Ibuki-tei" begins with recipes for spring cabbage: pickled, sauteed with butter, and two types of pasta. Ibuki's instructions are written in a refined and witty style, and he's filled with gratitude for nature's blessings, which could instantly be reduced to nothing if contaminated with radiation.

At the very least, the sensibility and values held by Ibuki -- who waxes poetic about homemade meals made from the heart over luxurious meals in restaurants -- do not follow a "nuclear-dependence" train of thought. (By Takao Yamada, Expert Senior Writer)


March 18, 2014(Mainichi Japan)

 

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