JAPAN AND NUCLEAR POWER

JAPAN PM SAYS MUST REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON NUCLEAR POWER

Linda Sieg

Reuters, July 12, 2011

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has no choice but to reduce its reliance on nuclear power, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Tuesday, as the country battles to end a four-month-old radiation crisis at a tsunami-crippled nuclear plant.

The unpopular prime minister appears increasingly sensitive to growing public concern about nuclear power, but whether he oversees an overhaul of energy policy is in doubt as he has promised to resign, although he has not specified when.

"We must scrap the plan to have nuclear power contribute 53 percent (of electricity supply) by 2030 and reduce the degree of reliance on nuclear power," Kan told the panel.

The crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima plant has sparked public debate over the role of nuclear power in quake-prone, resource-poor Japan, as well as immediate concerns about power shortages as 35 of the country's 54 reactors are currently off-line.

A 2010 basic energy plan had called for boosting nuclear energy's share of the electricity supply to 53 percent by 2030 by building at least 14 new reactors, but many politicians agree that is nearly impossible now given the growing public anxiety.

The crisis has also prompted discussions about whether to reform the way the nuclear power business, now the bailiwick of private utilities, is run.

"The question arises whether private companies can bear responsibility when considering the large risks involved with nuclear business," he told the panel.

"Examples from other countries show that this has not always been the case. I agree with the suggestion that discussions (including on nationalization) are needed."

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