Japan’s new environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi wants to scrap nuclear reactors
- His comments are likely to prove controversial in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which supports a return to nuclear power
- Koizumi is the son of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, who was also an anti-nuclear advocate
“We’ll be finished if we let [a nuclear accident] occur twice in one country. We never know when we’ll have an earthquake,” he added, without specifying further.
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Japan’s nuclear regulator is overseen by Koizumi’s ministry.
Three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi station run by Tokyo Electric Power melted down after being hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, spewing radiation that forced 160,000 people to flee, many never to return.
Japan has six reactors operating at present, a fraction of the 54 units before Fukushima. About 40 per cent of the pre-Fukushima fleet is being decommissioned.
Shinjiro Koizumi’s father, a popular prime minister now retired from parliament, became a harsh critic of atomic energy after the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
Abe’s government has said it wants to move away from nuclear energy, but it anticipates relying on the sector heavily for years to come, particularly as it works to meet its obligations under the Paris climate accord to reduce carbon emissions.
Its most recent plan envisages nuclear power supplying around 20 to 22 per cent of energy needs for the country as late as 2030.
Additional reporting by AFP
