Japan gets cold feet on total nuclear phase-out

Japan’s cabinet on Wednesday stopped short of committing to phase out nuclear power by 2040, backtracking from an advisory panel’s recommendations in the face of opposition from pro-nuclear businesses and groups.

The decision came the same day Japan launched a new regulatory body to replace the agency whose lack of independence from the nuclear industry was blamed for contributing to last year’s disaster.

While not endorsing the energy policy document calling for the phase-out released last week, the cabinet ministers did vaguely agree to pursue its goals. The advisory panel, acknowledging public aversion to nuclear power since the Fukushima accident, had called on Japan to phase it out within three decades through greater reliance on renewable energy, more conservation and sustainable use of fossil fuels.

The cabinet said only that it would take the policy document “into consideration” and would seek public support for the goals, while continuously reviewing the process and also trying to gain understanding from the international community. But the public in this case includes not only the general public, which has come out strongly against nuclear power, but also the nuclear industry and other business interests, as well as communities near nuclear plants that rely on them economically.

National Policy Minister Motohisa Furukawa said the gist of Japan’s energy policy remains to phase out nuclear power, though it would take time. Furukawa vowed to push for green energy and to seek to curb carbon dioxide emissions.

The cabinet’s ambiguous endorsement has added to criticism that the policy revision may just be intended to win votes in elections expected within the next few months.