Japan Plans to Replace Aged Nuclear Reactors to Stabilize Energy Supply

Nuclear reactors of No. 5 (center L) and 6 look over tanks storing water that was treated but still radioactive, at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Feb. 27, 2021. Hiro Komae/AP Photo

Japan’s Industry Ministry has proposed replacing aging nuclear reactors with new ones, marking a reversal from the country’s policy on nuclear power a decade after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

The ministry presented its guidelines on the use of nuclear reactors after gaining the understanding of the public, which appears to favor the move amid the rising energy cost and frequent power outages during peak seasons.

The guidelines call for the development of next-generation reactors and the extension of the lifespan of existing reactors beyond the current maximum of 60 years, up from the initial 40 years, Jiji Press reported.

While the new policy has been approved by the ministry’s Advisory Committee for Natural Resources, it will still require approval by the green transformation panel, which is led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The move followed Kishida’s call in August to activate more nuclear reactors and develop new plants using next-generation technologies. He ordered to have nine nuclear reactors operational by winter to prevent power shortages.

“In order to overcome our imminent crisis of a power supply crunch, we must take our utmost steps to mobilize all possible policies in the coming years and prepare for any emergency,” Kishida said.

Japan had only allowed 10 of the 33 operable nuclear reactors to restart after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. But rising energy prices, along with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and power outages during the summer and winter pushed the government to revive some nuclear plants.

On June 27, the government issued a warning about the tight power supply as Japan endured an extreme heat wave. It also issued an energy warning in March 2022 due to cold weather and power plant outages caused by an earthquake near Fukushima Prefecture.

Energy Crisis

To cope with the rising energy crisis, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike had come up with an alternative, suggesting that people wear turtleneck sweaters to keep warm and reduce their electricity consumption during the winter, a season in which heating demand is expected to surge and power shortages may ensue along with sky-high bills.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (L) meets with Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike on the decision to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building on Nov. 17, 2022. Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images

“Warming the neck has a thermal effect. I’m wearing a turtleneck myself and wearing a scarf also keeps you warm. This will save electricity,” Koike said on Nov. 18, AFP reported.

She took inspiration from French President Emmanuel Macron, who previously urged his people to wear turtlenecks at least four days a week to save electricity amid an energy crisis brought on by the Russia-Ukraine war and divestments in fossil fuel energy sources.

The two factors have resulted in a global energy crisis, and prompted nations like France and Japan to come up with alternatives. German state Premier Winfried Kretschmann in August urged people to use washcloths to clean themselves to save power.

“You don’t have to shower all the time. The washcloth is also a useful invention,” Kretschmann, governor of Baden-Württemberg and member of the German Greens Party, said in an interview with Südwest Presse on Aug. 18.

Kretschmann said the situation has highlighted the need for Germany to reduce its reliance on Russia for gas, diversify its supply chains, and increase trading with democratic countries.

Japan also sought liquefied natural gas (LNG) cooperation from other nations, including Malaysia and Thailand, to reduce reliance on Russia—one of its biggest LNG suppliers in 2021. The Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project in Russia was one of Japan’s main LNG supply sources, with an annual capacity of 9.6 million tons.

Katabella Roberts and the Associated Press contributed to this report.