Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s new “clean energy strategy” is expected to include “the maximum utilization” of nuclear power, a reflection of the increased push from pro-nuclear energy politicians.

Proposals put together by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s research commission on energy strategy on May 17 said power sources that can improve energy security and encourage decarbonization should be used to a maximum extent. These sources include nuclear energy and renewables.

The proposals echoed the industry ministry’s memo released on May 13 about the new strategy.

“The maximum utilization” of nuclear power has been included in the draft of Kishida’s action plan for a “new capitalism,” which is expected to receive approval at a Cabinet meeting in early June.

In October last year, the Kishida administration’s medium- and long-term energy plan said nuclear power is essential for a decarbonized society.

But it also said the government would “reduce its dependance on nuclear power as much as possible.” That was also the policy of the previous Yoshihide Suga administration.

Koichi Hagiuda, the industry minister, said the new clean energy strategy does not contradict the existing basic energy plan.

“The clean energy strategy aims to make the most of everything we can use, including nuclear power, to respond to circumstances, such as the Ukraine crisis and the energy supply shortage, on condition that nuclear energy is safely used,” Hagiuda said at a May 17 news conference.

Electricity prices in Japan have risen to record levels because the Russian invasion of Ukraine has driven up the costs of liquefied natural gas and oil.

Prices could further increase if Japan continues depending on thermal power generation while most of its nuclear reactors remain idle.

In fiscal 2020, nuclear power stations accounted for only 3.9 percent of all electricity generated in Japan, a huge drop from 25.1 percent in fiscal 2010, before the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami caused the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Although the figure for renewable energy rose from 9.5 percent to 19.8 percent over the same period, the percentage for thermal power generation jumped from 65.4 percent to 76.3 percent.

“The Ukrainian crisis has demonstrated that we have reached the point where we have to use nuclear power plants,” a senior official at the industry ministry said.

Japan is also being criticized from other Group of Seven countries over its stance on decarbonization.

Britain and Germany, for example, have announced plans to shut down their coal-fired power plants by self-imposed deadlines. Japan’s current policy, however, is to use those plants for the foreseeable future.

The international situation and the drive to reduce greenhouse gases have encouraged nuclear power proponents in Japan.

“Now is the time for nuclear energy,” an LDP Diet member said.

The Kishida administration has followed the policy of previous administrations to restart nuclear reactors that meet the safety standards set by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

The NRA is highly independent of the government. And prime ministers have generally refrained from referring to the NRA’s safety assessments of nuclear reactors and plants.

But in April, Kishida said on a TV program, “We have to explore how far we can go in restarting nuclear reactors by becoming more efficient, enhancing (the NRA’s) assessment capability, and going ahead with necessary procedures.”

Some interpreted Kishida’s comment as meaning that his administration would emphasize the use of nuclear power to curb rising energy prices and achieve decarbonization.

After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, all reactors in Japan were shut down. The government had been reluctant to strongly press for reactor restarts to avoid provoking public criticism over safety.

However, that reluctance has dissipated within the government. Some officials in the prime minister’s office are now advocating building new nuclear power plants or expanding or replacing existing facilities.

“It is much safer to replace existing nuclear reactors using up-to-date technologies,” one of those officials said. “Passing the assessment by the NRA will be easy that way.”

A source close to the prime minister also said, “We will need to announce discussions on expanding or replacing existing facilities, not just restarting them, sometime this year.”

After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the government limited the operational period of nuclear reactors to 40 years but said the period could be extended for up to 20 years.

Its official stance is that it “doesn’t expect” to build new nuclear power plants or expand or replace existing facilities.

Japan currently has 36 nuclear reactors, including those that are being built.

Even if the operation periods of all of those reactors are extended for 20 years, the number of reactors will drop to 23 in 2050, eight in 2060 and eventually reach zero.

(This article was compiled from reports by Shiki Iwasawa, Shinichi Sekine and Keishi Nishimura.)