Europe 1 with AFP 10:28 a.m., August 24, 2022

The Japanese government intends to give a serious boost to the revival of nuclear power in the country, a weakened and controversial sector since the Fukushima disaster in 2011 but which is coming back into favor in the face of strong global energy tensions.

The Prime Minister announced that a reflection would be carried out on the subject.

The Japanese government intends to give a serious boost to the revival of nuclear power, a weakened and controversial sector in the country since the Fukushima disaster in 2011 but which is coming back into favor in the face of strong global energy tensions.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Wednesday that a reflection would be launched on the possible construction of "new generation nuclear reactors", which would be a major turning point for Japan.

"The Russian invasion of Ukraine has largely transformed the global energy landscape", justified Fumio Kishida in front of the press, and therefore "Japan must take into account potential crisis scenarios in the future".

Energy supply more difficult since the start of the war in Ukraine

He also called for "maximizing" the use of existing nuclear reactors that have obtained regulatory authorizations to restart since the Fukushima disaster.

"In addition to securing the operations of the ten reactors already returned to service, the government will endeavor to do whatever is necessary" to restart other old reactors that have obtained regulatory green lights as soon as possible, the government said. Prime Minister.

Like many other countries, Japan has suffered from significantly more expensive and tighter energy supplies since the start of the war in Ukraine six months ago.

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Also aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050, Japan was also threatened with electricity shortages this summer due to scorching temperatures causing the air conditioning to run at full speed.

The entire Japanese nuclear fleet was shut down after the disaster at the Fukushima power plant, following a powerful earthquake and a gigantic tsunami in the northeast.

Out of 33 theoretically operable reactors, only 10 have since restarted after complying with considerably higher safety standards.

But these 10 reactors do not operate permanently and several of them are currently undergoing maintenance.

In 2020, less than 5% of the electricity generated in Japan came from nuclear, compared to 30% before the Fukushima disaster.

The archipelago is highly dependent on its fossil fuel imports and is also seeking to boost its renewable energies.