Nuclear is back in the energy mix, 14 years after Fukushima

More than a decade after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, Japan is again turning to nuclear power as it struggles to reach its emissions targets and bolster its energy security.

- Justin McCurry TOKYO

In a draft strategic energy plan due to be approved by the cabinet this month, the trade and industry ministry said it was ditching attempts to lessen Japan's reliance on nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster -the world's worst nuclear accident since Chornobyl 25 years earlier.

The document dropped a reference to "reducing reliance" on nuclear energy that had appeared in the three previous plans, and instead called for a "maximisation" of nuclear power, which will account for about 20% of total energy output in 2040, based on the assumption that 30 reactors will be in full operation by then. The plan envisages a share of between 40% and 50% for renewable energy - compared with just under a third in 2023 - and a reduction in coal-fired power from the current 70% to 30-40%.

The push to restart reactors idled since the plant was struck by a tsunami triggered by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake has been condemned by climate campaigners as costly and dangerous.