Sunday Mail Brisbane
31 July 2011, Page: 42
JAPAN'S Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, has pledged a "revolutionary" shift away from atomic power and towards renewable energy in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. His cabinet also agreed on a plan to rebuild after the quake and tsunami disaster of March 11, saying reconstruction would cost Y19 trillion ($222 billion) over five years. The embattled premier has been fighting calls to resign amid rock-bottom poll ratings.
He was speaking as more than 180,000 people in Niigata region and Fukushima were moved to evacuation centres after rains triggered floods that left five missing. "We have made a significant decision on energy policy, including nuclear power", Mr Kan said. "As a medium-term revolutionary energy and environmental strategy, we have decided to start a thorough review of nuclear power policy and draw a roadmap for a reduction of the dependence on nuclear power. "The Japanese government will aim for a society that does not depend on nuclear power".
Mr Kan, a one-time environmental activist, has pledged to boost alternative energy sources to 20% of the nation's energy mix by the 2020s. They currently make up about 9%. Medium-term goals until 2020 should include decentralised energy systems, with reduced nuclear use, he said.
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