Nuke power emerging as attractive option, but concerns persist

TOKYO, Sep. 11, 2009 (Kyodo News International) — With incoming Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama having set a more ambitious emissions reduction target for the government to be led by the Democratic Party of Japan than that pledged by outgoing rival Taro Aso, nuclear power is emerging as one of the most effective possible solutions.

In the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, however, the hurdles remain high for those pushing for greater use of nuclear energy, which is ”cleaner” in terms of carbon emissions than fossil fuels. The DPJ’s alliance with a smaller party that calls for a withdrawal from nuclear technologies could also pose a hindrance.

Public trust in the safety of nuclear power generation has been undermined in Japan, despite the country’s advanced technology, by a series of serious accidents and safety coverups by major utilities over the last decade.

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