Japan to phase out nuclear energy over three decades

Japan has announced that it plans to phase out nuclear power over three decades. The country would work to cut its use of nuclear energy to zero by 2040 by eventually shutting down its stable of reactors, which once supplied Japan with about one-third of its energy.

The move would bring Japan into line with Italy, Switzerland and Germany, the last of which has said it will wean itself off nuclear power by 2022, and comes amid regular vocal protests against nuclear power.

Tokyo’s new energy policy calls for shutting down reactors that are more than 40 years old, not building any new nuclear reactors and only restarting existing reactors if they pass standards issued by a new regulatory agency.

Ahead of a general election expected this autumn, nuclear energy has become a hot issue in Japan, with regular protests that sometimes attract tens of thousands of people calling for it to be ditched.

The decision, which was announced on Friday, comes about 18 months after a huge tsunami swamped reactor cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, sparking meltdowns and radiation leaks in the worst atomic accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

Source: AAP