Nuclear power in Japan

Prior to the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, and the nuclear disasters that resulted from it, Japan had generated 30% of its electrical power from nuclear reactors and planned to increase that share to 40%.Nuclear energy was a national strategic priority in Japan, but there had been concern about the ability of Japan's nuclear plants to withstand seismic activity. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant was completely shut down for 21 months following an earthquake in 2007 and owner TEPCO repeated scandals.

Starting in the mid-1990s there were several nuclear related accidents and cover-ups in Japan, principally by TEPCO, that eroded public perception of the industry, resulting in anti-nuclear protests and resistance to new plants. While exact details may be in dispute, it is clear that the safety culture in Japan's nuclear industry has come under greater scrutiny.

The 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused the failure of cooling systems at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant on March 11 and Japan's first-ever nuclear emergency was declared, which caused 140,000 residents within 20 km (12 mi) of the plant to be evacuated. A comprehensive assessment by international experts on the health risks associated with the Fukushima I nuclear power plant disaster concluded in 2013 that, for the general population inside and outside Japan, the predicted risks were low and no observable increases in cancer rates above baseline rates were anticipated. On 6 May 2011, Prime Minister Naoto Kan ordered the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant be shut down as an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or higher is likely to hit the area within the next thirty years.

Problems in stabilizing the triple reactor meltdowns at Fukushima I nuclear plant hardened attitudes to nuclear power. As of June 2011, more than 80 percent of Japanese now said they were anti-nuclear and distrusted government information on radiation. As of October 2011, there have been electricity shortages, but Japan survived the summer without the extensive blackouts that had been predicted. An energy white paper, approved by the Japanese Cabinet in October 2011, stated that "public confidence in safety of nuclear power was greatly damaged" by the Fukushima disaster, and called for a reduction in the nation’s reliance on nuclear power.

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