15 Years On: Japan to Push Forward with N-Reactor Restarts

Tokyo, March 11 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is poised to plow ahead with work to restart nuclear reactors, aided by the political dominance of her Liberal Democratic Party and the reduced presence of opposition parties supporting zero nuclear power.

Fifteen years after the triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, which was triggered by a huge earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, an official of the current administration described nuclear power as a "low-cost and stable source of electricity."

Takaichi has repeatedly emphasized the need for nuclear energy. "Nuclear power helps bring down electricity bills and ensures a stable power supply, as well as protects our livelihoods and industries," she said in a stump speech during the Lower House election campaign. "That's a world I'd like to build."

Last October, the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party signed a coalition deal, agreeing to work on bringing back nuclear reactors online to cope with the rising electricity demand. They also backed moves to develop new technologies such as next-generation innovative reactors and nuclear fusion reactors.

The pursuit of reactor restarts is driven in part by an expected further rise in electricity demand due to expansions of data centers, crucial in artificial intelligence development. In addition, the production of advanced semiconductors is expected to be launched at full scale soon.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]