Japan Government Shifts from Maintaining Nuclear Power Ratio to Allowing Expansion: Considering New Reactor Construction Instead of Decommissioning Existing Plants

The Asahi Shimbun reported on the 16th that the Japanese government is considering allowing the construction of new nuclear power plants. This indicates a shift from Japan's 'anti-nuclear' policy, which was implemented following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, to a 'pro-nuclear' stance. According to the Asahi Shimbun, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) plans to include a provision in the revised 'Energy Basic Plan,' scheduled to be announced this year, that allows power companies to build new reactors in exchange for decommissioning aging nuclear power plants. The Japanese government revises the Energy Basic Plan every three years.

The media explained that this measure is being taken with the Kyushu Electric Power Company's Genkai Nuclear Power Plant in mind. It is anticipated that Kyushu Electric Power will be allowed to expand the Kawachi Nuclear Power Plant in Kagoshima Prefecture in exchange for decommissioning two reactors at the Genkai Nuclear Power Plant in Saga Prefecture. However, instead of using the term 'expansion,' the Japanese government intends to use the term 'replacement' (建て替え) in the revised plan, which implies building a new reactor in place of an existing one. The Asahi Shimbun stated that this is a measure taken to avoid provoking public opposition to the expansion of nuclear power plants.

In March 2011, Japan experienced its first reactor core meltdown at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Public concern about nuclear power increased due to the damage caused by the radioactive material release. The then-ruling Democratic Party of Japan halted all 54 nuclear reactors nationwide and adopted the 'anti-nuclear' policy of 'zero nuclear power.' However, the situation reversed when the Liberal Democratic Party, led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, returned to power at the end of the following year. In 2014, the previous anti-nuclear policy was abandoned, and nuclear power was designated as a major energy source. Subsequently, starting in 2017, the government actively promoted the policy of reusing nuclear power plants, allowing aging reactors with a 40-year lifespan to be extended for another 20 years and excluding the period when reactors were shut down from the lifespan calculation. During this time, South Korea pursued an anti-nuclear policy, permanently shutting down Gori 1 and deciding to prematurely close Wolsong 1.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who succeeded former Prime Minister Abe, is accelerating the pro-nuclear policy. In 2022, Prime Minister Kishida declared that he would resume the construction of nuclear power plants, which had been halted after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, with the goal of achieving a decarbonized society. The shift towards a pro-nuclear policy could spark resistance within Japan. Although the Asahi Shimbun argues that the total number of nuclear reactors will not increase because the construction of new reactors will be conditional upon the decommissioning of older ones, it points out that this raises questions about the consistency of the policy with the existing principle of "reducing reliance on nuclear power as much as possible."

This 'U-turn' is not unique to Japan. Several countries, including those in Europe and the United States, are adopting policies to expand nuclear power due to surging electricity demand and energy supply instability caused by the Russia-Ukraine war. In May 2022, the Biden administration decided to provide a $1.5 billion loan to the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan, which had been permanently shut down. Finland started operating a new nuclear power plant in April of last year for the first time in 40 years, while Sweden abolished restrictions on new nuclear power plant construction in November of last year and is considering building 10 new nuclear power plants by 2045.