Japan Press Weekly

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2011 July 13 - 19 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Keidanren continues to defend nuclear power generation

(excerpts)

Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) President Yonekura Hiromasa pounded the table in anger at a press conference on July 11. He seemed to be frustrated by the delay in the restart of suspended nuclear power reactors due to the imposition of a “stress test,” which the government recently announced that it will carry out on all nuclear power plants throughout the country.

The influential business leader threatened that Japanese major corporations will move overseas if a stable power supply cannot be maintained domestically.

The ongoing nuclear crisis in Fukushima has brought about a great change in the public assessment of nuclear power generation. In recent opinion polls, 82% of respondents agreed with the need to decommission nuclear power plants (Tokyo Shimbun, June 19), and 77% called for graduated reduction of such plants and a complete withdrawal from nuclear energy in the future (Asahi Shimbun, July 12). An overwhelming majority of Japanese now demand a society free from nuclear power stations.

Shortly after the March 11 disaster, Yonekura said, “It is amazing that nuclear plants could withstand such a devastating tsunami, which occurs once in a thousand years.” He stated it is a matter of course for Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled Fukushima plant, to be exempt from providing compensation for damages caused by the nuclear accident.

The Keidanren President also criticized the government for making a “sudden” request for a suspension of operation at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant, built directly above a major seismic fault. He has made remarks in opposition to the development of renewable energy technologies, saying that it will “lead to increasing the price of electricity.”

His remarks reflect the deep relations between business circles and the nuclear energy lobby. Energy corporations are sitting at the center of the Japanese financial circle, which has pushed successive governments to promote nuclear power generation using a vast amount of money in political donations.

The latest nuclear crisis has shown that nuclear power plants can be the biggest obstacle to a stable electric supply. To withdraw from this type of energy generation and move toward the introduction of renewable energy sources should also be beneficial for major corporations.

Yonekura’s attitude is abnormal at a time when other business leaders are making positive remarks regarding the suspension of the Hamaoka plant and calling for promotion of renewable energy technologies.