Photo/Illutration The Shika nuclear power plant in Ishikawa Prefecture on Jan. 2 (Tatsuya Shimada)

Nearly 13 years after the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, a new poll shows the support rate for restarting idle nuclear power plants in Japan is widening. 

The Asahi Shimbun poll found that 50 percent of respondents support resuming the plants, while 35 percent said they want them to remain offline.

This marks the second consecutive year that the majority were in favor.

The survey has been conducted annually since 2013, following the triple meltdowns at the Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant, which was triggered by tsunami after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

In each of the polls, roughly 30 percent of respondents favored restarting nuclear plants while 50 to 60 percent remained opposed.

However, the previous survey in February 2023 marked the first time the majority opinion flipped, with 51 percent in favor and 42 percent opposed.

By gender, a majority of men supported restarting the plants at 64 percent. In contrast, 42 percent of women were opposed, outnumbering the 36 percent in favor.

By age group, support was the highest among those aged 18 to 29 at 73 percent. The ratio decreased with elderly respondents. 

Opposition was the highest among those aged 70 and older at 50 percent, decreasing with those in the younger age groups. 

The Asahi Shimbun conducted the national telephone survey on Feb. 17 and 18, more than a month and a half after the Noto Peninsula earthquake, which raised fresh concerns about nuclear disaster prevention. 

The quake damaged some facilities at the Shika nuclear plant, which is operated by Hokuriku Electric Power Co.

When asked about the government’s response to the Noto Peninsula quake, 42 percent of the respondents gave it a positive evaluation while 45 percent viewed it negatively.

As for how prepared people feel their local communities are to handle natural disasters in their areas, 46 percent of respondents felt they were prepared. Only 4 percent said “quite well” and 42 percent said “to some extent.”

Forty-nine percent felt unprepared, 38 percent said “not well” and 11 percent said “hardly at all.”

Although direct comparisons cannot be made due to different survey methods, the same question was asked in a telephone survey in April 2011, about one month after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

That survey showed 32 percent felt prepared and 62 percent felt unprepared.

In the latest survey, 55 percent of those who felt their communities were prepared to handle earthquakes supported restarting nuclear plants, while 28 percent were opposed.

Among those who felt their communities were unprepared, 46 percent were in favor and 41 percent were opposed.

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