75-517: The Japan Atomic Power Company ( 日本原子力発電 , Nihon Genshiryoku Hatsuden , JAPC) is a company initially formed to jump start the commercial use of nuclear power in Japan , and currently operates two different sites . According to the official web site, JAPC is "the only power company in Japan solely engaged in nuclear energy". JAPC owns both units at the Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant and
150-800: A decision by the previous Democratic Party, the government will re-open nuclear plants, aiming for "a realistic and balanced energy structure". In May 2014 the Fukui District Court blocked the restart of the Oi reactors. In April 2015 courts blocked the restarting of two reactors at the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant but permitted the restart of two reactors at the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant . The government hopes that nuclear power will produce 20% of Japan's electricity by 2030. As of June 2015, approval
225-526: A gradual exit from nuclear energy. By October 2011, while there had been electricity shortages, Japan survived the summer of 2011 without the extensive blackouts that some had predicted, but at the price of casting doubts on Japan ambitious carbon emissions cuts. An energy white paper, approved by the Japanese Cabinet in October 2011, stated that "Public confidence in the safety of nuclear power
300-641: A landslide or earthquake. In response, Yoshinobu Terasaka, head of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency , replied that the plants were so well designed that "such a situation is practically impossible". Following damage at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant due to the 2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake , Kiyoo Mogi called for the immediate closure of the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant , which
375-768: A later date. Though all of Japan's nuclear reactors successfully withstood shaking from the Tohoku earthquake , flooding from the ensuing tsunami caused the failure of cooling systems at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant on 11 March 2011. Japan's first-ever nuclear emergency was declared, and 140,000 residents within 20 km (12 mi) of the plant were evacuated. All of Japan's nuclear plants were closed, or their operations were suspended for safety inspections. The last of Japan's fifty-four reactors ( Tomari-3 ) went offline for maintenance on 5 May 2012, leaving Japan completely without nuclear-produced electrical power for
450-687: A license themselves to build similar plant designs. Developments in nuclear power since that time have seen contributions from Japanese companies and research institutes on the same level as the other big users of nuclear power. From the early 1970s to the present, the Japanese government promoted the siting of nuclear power plants through a variety of policy instruments involving soft social control and financial incentives. By offering large subsidies and public works projects to rural communities and by using educational trips, junkets for local government officials, and OpEds written as news by pro-nuclear supporters,
525-410: A long history of earthquakes and seismic activity , and destructive earthquakes , often resulting in tsunamis , occur several times a century. Due to this, concern has been expressed about the particular risks of constructing and operating nuclear power plants in Japan. Amory Lovins has said: "An earthquake-and-tsunami zone crowded with 127 million people is an unwise place for 54 reactors". To date,
600-408: A long history of nuclear power companies conspiring with governments to manipulate public opinion in favour of nuclear energy". One nuclear company "even stacked public meetings with its own employees who posed as ordinary citizens to speak in support of nuclear power plants". An energy white paper, approved by the Japanese Cabinet in October 2011, says "public confidence in the safety of nuclear power
675-536: A place of tourism, trade and prosperity. Matsushima , for instance, a series of tiny islands, was praised for its beauty and serenity by the wandering haiku poet Matsuo Bashō . The haiku poet Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) wrote Oku no Hosomichi ( The Narrow Road to the Deep North ) during his travels through Tōhoku. In the 1960s, ironworks , steelmaking , cement , chemical industry , pulp , and petroleum refining industries began developing. The region
750-407: A strong earthquake with a magnitude above 7.0 could pose a 'serious problem' for Japan's nuclear power stations. Before Fukushima, "14 lawsuits charging that risks had been ignored or hidden were filed in Japan, revealing a disturbing pattern in which operators underestimated or hid seismic dangers to avoid costly upgrades and keep operating. But all the lawsuits were unsuccessful". Underscoring
825-474: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Nuclear power in Japan Japan has generated up to 30% of its electrical power from nuclear reactors and planned to increase that share to 40% up until 2011. Nuclear power energy was a national strategic priority in Japan. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami , all reactors had been shut down temporarily. As of November 2024 , of
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#1732782590669900-617: Is another area causing concern. In 2008 Taku Komatsubara, a geologist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology alleged that the presence of active faults was deliberately ignored when surveys of potential new power plant sites were undertaken, a view supported by a former topographer . Takashi Nakata, a seismologist from the Hiroshima Institute of Technology has made similar allegations and suggests that conflicts of interest between
975-786: Is clear that the safety culture in Japan's nuclear industry has come under greater scrutiny. On 18 April 2007, Japan and the United States signed the United States-Japan Joint Nuclear Energy Action Plan , aimed at putting in place a framework for the joint research and development of nuclear energy technology. Each country will conduct research into fast reactor technology, fuel cycle technology, advanced computer simulation and modeling, small and medium reactors, safeguards and physical protection; and nuclear waste management. In March 2008, Tokyo Electric Power Company announced that
1050-688: Is colder than in other parts of Honshū due to the stronger effect of the Siberian High , and permits only one crop a year on paddy fields. The Pacific coast of Tohoku, however, is generally much less snowy than the region's popular image and has among the smallest seasonal temperature variation in Japan. The city of Iwaki, for instance, has daily mean temperatures ranging from 3.0 °C (37.4 °F) in January to 23.9 °C (75.0 °F) in August. The population decline of Tōhoku, which began before
1125-531: Is comparable to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster . The Economist reports that the Fukushima disaster is "a bit like three Three Mile Islands in a row, with added damage in the spent-fuel stores", and that there will be ongoing impacts: Tohoku region The Tōhoku region ( 東北地方 , Tōhoku-chihō , IPA: [toːhokɯ̥ tɕiꜜhoː] ) , Northeast region , Ōu region ( 奥羽地方 , Ōu-chihō ) , or Northeast Japan ( 東北日本 , Tōhoku Nihon ) consists of
1200-600: Is estimated at ¥13.46 trillion ($ 123 billion). In February 2023, a survey by Asahi Shimbun showed that 51% of participants in Japan favored the restart of nuclear plant operations, with 42% opposed. In 1954, the Operations Coordinating Board of the United States National Security Council proposed that the U.S. government undertake a "vigorous offensive" urging nuclear energy for Japan in order to overcome
1275-447: Is hilly or mountainous, with the Ōu Mountains running north–south. The inland location of many of the region's lowlands has led to a concentration of much of the population there. Coupled with coastlines that do not favor seaport development, this settlement pattern resulted in a much greater than usual dependence on land and rail transportation. Low points in the central mountain range make communications between lowlands on either side of
1350-477: Is traditionally known as a less developed area of Japan. The catastrophic 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, inflicted massive damage along the east coast of this region, causing 19,759 deaths, and was the costliest natural disaster ever which left 500,000 people homeless along with radioactive emissions from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster . Tōhoku, like most of Japan,
1425-406: The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake , inundating the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant , was more than twice the design height, while the ground acceleration also slightly exceeded the design parameters. In 2006 a Japanese government subcommittee was charged with revising the national guidelines on the earthquake-resistance of nuclear power plants, which had last been partially revised in 2001, resulting in
1500-505: The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami . According to the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan, "by April 27 approximately 55 percent of the fuel in reactor unit 1 had melted, along with 35 percent of the fuel in unit 2, and 30 percent of the fuel in unit 3; and overheated spent fuels in the storage pools of units 3 and 4 probably were also damaged". The accident exceeds the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in seriousness, and
1575-515: The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami . The Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant lost external electric power, experienced the failure of one of its two cooling pumps, and two of its three emergency power generators. External electric power could only be restored two days after the earthquake. In February 2013 in an attempt to raise money to be able to pay back loans due in April 2013, Japan Atomic Power did sell part of its uranium-stock. Streamlining and selling
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#17327825906691650-479: The Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant be shut down as an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or higher is estimated 87% likely to hit the area within the next 30 years. Kan wanted to avoid a possible repeat of the Fukushima nuclear disaster . On 9 May 2011, Chubu Electric decided to comply with the government's request. In July 2011, a mayor in Shizuoka Prefecture and a group of residents filed a lawsuit seeking
1725-540: The Russian invasion of Ukraine , Japan's Prime Minister announced the restart of nine units by winter 2022 and seven more by summer 2023. The National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC) is the first independent investigation commission by the National Diet in the 66-year history of Japan's constitutional government. NAICC was established on 8 December 2011 with
1800-568: The Tomari-3 , after the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 6 was shut down. The Tomari-3 was shut down for maintenance on 5 May, leaving Japan with no nuclear-derived electricity for the first time since 1970, when the country's then-only two reactors were taken offline for five days for maintenance. On 15 June 2012, approval was given to restart Ōi Units 3 and 4 which could take six weeks to bring them to full operation. On 1 July 2012, unit 3 of
1875-540: The Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant with plans to expand at Tsuruga. The company is jointly owned by Japan's major electric utilities : The Tokyo Electric Power Company (28.23%), Kansai Electric Power (18.54%), Chubu Electric Power (15.12%), Hokuriku Electric Power Company (13.05%), Tohoku Electric Power (6.12%), and Electric Power Development Company (J-Power) (5.37%). On 11 March 2011 several nuclear reactors in Japan were badly damaged by
1950-492: The global energy crisis which greatly increased the cost of imported fossil fuels, Japan's prime minister announced the building of safer next-generation nuclear reactors and restarting idle existing plants would be considered. In 2022 ten reactors were operational producing about 5% of Japan's electricity. In December 2022, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) approved a draft-rule allowing nuclear reactors to operate beyond 60 years by excluding inspection downtimes. This
2025-735: The indigenous Emishi on Honshu and the site of many battles , the region has maintained a degree of autonomy from Kyoto at various times throughout history. The Northern Fujiwara (奥州藤原氏 Ōshū Fujiwara-shi ) were a Japanese noble family that ruled the Tōhoku region during the 12th century as their own realm. They kept their independence vis-a-vis the Imperial Court in Kyoto by the strength of their warrior bands until they were overwhelmed by Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1189. Date Masamune (1567–1636), feudal lord of Date clan , expanded trade in
2100-486: The Ōi Nuclear Power Plant was restarted. This reactor can provide 1,180 MW of electricity. On 21 July 2012 unit 4 was restarted, also 1,180 MW. The reactor was shut down again on 14 September 2013, again leaving Japan with no operating power reactors. Government figures in the 2014 Annual Report on Energy show that Japan depended on imported fossil fuels for 88% of its electricity in fiscal year 2013, compared with 62% in fiscal 2010. Without significant nuclear power,
2175-543: The 2030 target for nuclear energy to 20%-22% of power generation by restarting reactors, compared to LNG 27%, coal 25%, renewables 23% and oil 3%. This would reduce Japan's carbon dioxide emissions by 26% compared to 2013, and increase self-sufficiency to about 24% by 2030, compared to 8% in 2016. Since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Japan has restarted twelve reactors and fifteen more have applied to restart, including two that are under construction. Amid
2250-442: The 54 nuclear reactors in Japan, there were 33 operable reactors but only 13 reactors in 6 power plants were actually operating. A total of 24 reactors are scheduled for decommissioning or are in the process of being decommissioned. Others are in the process of being reactivated, or are undergoing modifications aimed to improve resiliency against natural disasters; Japan's 2030 energy goals posit that at least 33 will be reactivated by
2325-652: The Fukushima disaster, and India is proposing to build about 20 new reactors over the next decade. However, there is Japanese domestic opposition to the agreement, as India has not agreed to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons . In 2014, following the failure of the prototype Monju sodium-cooled fast reactor , Japan agreed to cooperate in developing the French ASTRID demonstration sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor. As of 2016, France
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2400-498: The Fukushima nuclear disaster last March". There were flaws in, and lax enforcement of, the safety rules governing Japanese nuclear power companies, and this included insufficient protection against tsunamis. On 6 May 2011, Prime Minister Naoto Kan ordered the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant to be shut down as an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or higher is likely to hit the area within the next thirty years. As of 27 March 2012, Japan had only one out of 54 nuclear reactors operating;
2475-532: The Genkai 1, Mihama 1 and 2, Shimane 1, and Tsuruga 1 reactors. In terms of consequences of radioactivity releases and core damage, the Fukushima I nuclear accidents in 2011 were the worst experienced by the Japanese nuclear industry, in addition to ranking among the worst civilian nuclear accidents , though no fatalities were caused and no serious exposure of radiation to workers occurred. The Tokaimura reprocessing plant fire in 1999 had 2 worker deaths, one more
2550-611: The Japanese Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction , has expressed similar concerns, stating in 2004 that the issue 'is a critical problem which can bring a catastrophe to Japan through a man-made disaster'. Warnings from Kunihiko Shimazaki, a professor of seismology at the University of Tokyo, were also ignored. In 2004, as a member of an influential cabinet office committee on offshore earthquakes, Mr. Shimazaki "warned that Fukushima's coast
2625-772: The Japanese nuclear industry and the regulators contribute to the problem. A 2011 Natural Resources Defense Council report that evaluated the seismic hazard to reactors worldwide, as determined by the Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program data, placed 35 of Japan's reactors in the group of 48 reactors worldwide in very high and high seismic hazard areas. As of January 2022 there are 33 operable reactors in Japan, of which 12 reactors are currently operating. Additionally, 5 reactors have been approved for restart and further 8 have restart applications under review. Download coordinates as: On 6 May 2011, then Prime Minister Naoto Kan requested
2700-799: The Pope in Rome, he was likely motivated at least in part by a desire for foreign technology, similar to that of other lords, such as Oda Nobunaga . He showed sympathy for Christian missionaries and traders in Japan. In addition to allowing them to come and preach in his province, he also released the prisoner and missionary Padre Sotelo from the hands of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Date Masamune allowed Sotelo as well as other missionaries to practice their religion and win converts in Tōhoku. Further, once Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) outlawed Christianity, Masamune reversed his position, and though disliking it, let Ieyasu persecute Christians in his domain. For 270 years, Tōhoku remained
2775-422: The Tōhoku region. Although initially faced with attacks by hostile clans, he managed to overcome them after a few defeats and eventually ruled one of the largest fiefdoms of the later Tokugawa shogunate . He built many palaces and worked on many projects to beautify the region. He is also known to have encouraged foreigners to come to his land. Even though he funded and promoted an envoy to establish relations with
2850-675: The area of Honshu occupied by the native Emishi and Ainu . The area was historically the Dewa and the Michinoku regions, a term first recorded in Hitachi-no-kuni Fudoki ( 常陸国風土記 ) (654). There is some variation in modern usage of the term "Michinoku". Tōhoku's initial historical settlement occurred between the seventh and ninth centuries, well after Japanese civilization and culture had become firmly established in central and southwestern Japan. The last stronghold of
2925-559: The beginning of Japan's nuclear program. The Atomic Energy Basic Law limited activities to only peaceful purposes. The first nuclear power plant in Japan, the Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant , was built by the UK 's GEC and was commissioned in 1966. In the 1970s, the first light water reactors were built in cooperation with American companies. These plants were bought from U.S. vendors such as General Electric and Westinghouse with contractual work done by Japanese companies, who would later get
3000-661: The central government won over the support of depopulating, hard-on-their-luck coastal towns, and villages. Japan's nuclear industry was not hit as hard by the effects of the Three Mile Island accident (TMI) or the Chernobyl disaster as some other countries. Construction of new plants continued to be strong through the 1980s, 1990s, and up to the present day. While many new plants had been proposed, all were subsequently canceled or never brought past initial planning. Cancelled plant orders include: However, starting in
3075-475: The country is to meet its obligations under the Paris climate accord, then nuclear energy needs to make up between 20 and 22% of the nation's portfolio mix. 26 restart applications are now pending with an estimated 12 units to come back in service by 2025 and 18 by 2030. The total cost of implementing safety measures, maintaining facilities, and decommissioning of commercially operated nuclear power plants in Japan
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3150-452: The country was self-sufficient for just 6% of its energy demand in 2012, compared with 20% in 2010. The additional fuel costs to compensate for its nuclear reactors being idled was ¥3.6 trillion. In parallel, domestic energy users have seen a 19.4% increase in their energy bills between 2010 and 2013, while industrial users have seen their costs rise 28.4% over the same period. In 2018 the Japanese government revised its energy plan to update
3225-545: The decommissioning of the reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant permanently. In April 2014, Reuters reported that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe favours restarting nuclear plants, but that its analysis suggests that only about one-third to two-thirds of reactors will be in a technical and economic position to restart. In April 2017 the Nuclear Regulation Authority approved plans to decommission
3300-413: The disaster response. The commission chairman, Kiyoshi Kurokawa, declared with respect to the Fukushima nuclear incident: "It was a profoundly man-made disaster – that could and should have been foreseen and prevented." He added that the "fundamental causes" of the disaster were rooted in "the ingrained conventions of Japanese culture." The report outlines errors and willful negligence at
3375-555: The dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan was not necessary. How better to make a contribution to amends than by offering Japan...atomic energy." For several years starting in 1954, the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other U.S. government agencies ran a propaganda war targeting the Japanese population to vanquish the Japanese people's opposition to nuclear power. In 1954, Japan budgeted 230 million yen for nuclear energy, marking
3450-468: The earliest. As of September 2008, Japanese ministries and agencies were seeking an increase in the 2009 budget by 6%. The total requested comes to 491.4 billion Japanese yen (US$ 4.6 billion), and the focuses of research are the development of the fast breeder reactor cycle, next-generation light water reactors, the Iter project, and seismic safety. A 2011 independent investigation in Japan has "revealed
3525-559: The first time since 1970. Problems in stabilizing the triple reactor meltdowns at Fukushima I nuclear plant hardened attitudes toward nuclear power. In June 2011, immediately after the Fukushima disaster, more than 80 percent of Japanese said they were anti-nuclear and distrusted government information on radiation , but ten years later, in March 2021, only 11 percent of Japanese said they wanted that nuclear energy generation to be discontinued immediately. Another 49 percent were asking for
3600-676: The independence of the Nuclear Safety Commission after a senior Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency official appeared to rule out a new review of the NSC's seismic design guide in 2007. Following the publication of the new 2006 Seismic Guide, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency , at the request of the Nuclear Safety Commission, required the design of all existing nuclear power plants to be re-evaluated. The standard of geological survey work in Japan
3675-509: The interests of the Japan Electric Association , which had 11 of its committee members on the 19-member government subcommittee. Ishibashi has subsequently claimed that, although the new guide brought in the most far-reaching changes since 1978, it was 'seriously flawed' because it underestimated the design basis of earthquake ground motion . He has also claimed that the enforcement system is 'a shambles' and questioned
3750-417: The land-use rights to the families who previously owned them. This article about a Japanese corporation- or company-related topic is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about nuclear power and nuclear reactors for power generation is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a company or corporation involved in the energy industry
3825-646: The mid-1990s there were several nuclear-related accidents and cover-ups in Japan that eroded public perception of the industry, resulting in protests and resistance to new plants. These accidents included the Tokaimura nuclear accident , the Mihama steam explosion , cover-ups after an accident at the Monju reactor , among others, more recently the Chūetsu offshore earthquake aftermath. While exact details may be in dispute, it
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#17327825906693900-579: The mission to investigate the direct and indirect causes of the Fukushima nuclear accident. NAICC submitted its inquiry report to both houses on 5 July 2012. The 10-member commission compiled its report based on more than 1,167 interviews and 900 hours of hearings. It was a six-month independent investigation, the first of its kind with wide-ranging subpoena powers in Japan's constitutional history, which held public hearings with former Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Tokyo Electric Power Co 's former president Masataka Shimizu , who gave conflicting accounts of
3975-465: The most serious seismic-related accident has been the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster , following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami . Professor Katsuhiko Ishibashi , one of the seismologists who have taken an active interest in the topic, coined the term genpatsu-shinsai (原発震災), from the Japanese words for "nuclear power" and "quake disaster" to express the potential worst-case catastrophe that could ensue. Dr Kiyoo Mogi , former chair of
4050-444: The northeastern portion of Honshu , the largest island of Japan . This traditional region consists of six prefectures ( ken ): Akita , Aomori , Fukushima , Iwate , Miyagi , and Yamagata . Tōhoku retains a reputation as a remote, scenic region with a harsh climate . In the 20th century, tourism became a major industry in the Tōhoku region. In mythological times, the area was known as Azuma (吾妻, あづま) and corresponded to
4125-569: The plant before the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011 and a flawed response in the hours, days, and weeks that followed. It also offers recommendations and encourages Japan's parliament to "thoroughly debate and deliberate" the suggestions. Japan's nuclear power reactors Timeline [ view/edit ] Japan's new energy plan, approved by the Liberal Democratic Party cabinet in April 2014, calls nuclear power "the country's most important power source". Reversing
4200-519: The plant. Hidekatsu Yoshii , a member of the House of Representatives for Japanese Communist Party and an anti-nuclear campaigner , warned in March and October 2006 about the possibility of the severe damage that might be caused by a tsunami or earthquake. During a parliamentary committee in May 2010 he made similar claims, warning that the cooling systems of a Japanese nuclear plant could be destroyed by
4275-425: The predicted risks were low and no observable increases in cancer rates above baseline rates were anticipated. In September 2013, Ōi units 3 and 4 went offline, making Japan again completely without nuclear-produced electrical power. On 11 August 2015, the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant was brought back online, followed by two units (3 and 4) of the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant on 29 January 2016. However, Unit 4
4350-433: The project. The plant was to be built by a consortium, International Nuclear Energy Development of Japan Co , which comprises 13 Japanese companies. The plant was to be owned and operated by state-owned electricity company EVN . Unit 1 was expected to be commissioned in 2021, unit 2 in 2022, unit 3 in 2024 and unit 4 in 2025. However, the project was suspended in 2016, and in 2023, the provincial government returned
4425-420: The publication of a new seismic guide – the 2006 Regulatory Guide for Reviewing Seismic Design of Nuclear Power Reactor Facilities . The subcommittee membership included Professor Ishibashi, however his proposal that the standards for surveying active faults should be reviewed was rejected and he resigned at the final meeting, claiming that the review process was 'unscientific' and the outcome rigged to suit
4500-578: The range moderately easy. Tōhoku was traditionally considered the granary of Japan because it supplied Sendai and the Tokyo - Yokohama market with rice and other farming commodities. Tōhoku provided 20 percent of the nation's rice crop. The most often used subdivision of the region is dividing it to "North Tōhoku" ( 北東北 , Kita-Tōhoku ) consisting of Aomori, Akita, and Iwate Prefectures and "South Tōhoku" ( 南東北 , Minami-Tōhoku ) consisting of Yamagata, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures. The climate
4575-502: The restart of Ikata-3 which took place on 19 April 2016, this reactor is the fifth to receive approval to restart. The Takahama Nuclear Power Plant unit 4 restarted in May 2017 and unit 3 in June 2017. And by 2023, Unit 1 and 2 of Takahama also restarted. In November 2016 Japan signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with India . Japanese nuclear plant builders saw this as potential lifeline given that domestic orders had ended following
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#17327825906694650-512: The risks facing Japan, a 2012 research institute investigation has "determined there is a 70% chance of a magnitude-7 earthquake striking the Tokyo metropolitan area within the next four years, and 98% over 30 years". The March 2011 earthquake was a magnitude 9. Between 2005 and 2007, three Japanese nuclear power plants were shaken by earthquakes that far exceeded the maximum peak ground acceleration used in their design. The tsunami that followed
4725-527: The start of operation of four new nuclear power reactors would be postponed by one year due to the incorporation of new earthquake resistance assessments. Units 7 and 8 of the Fukushima Daiichi plant would now enter commercial operation in October 2014 and October 2015, respectively. Unit 1 of the Higashidori plant is now scheduled to begin operating in December 2015, while unit 2 will start up in 2018 at
4800-484: The uranium would be needed to pay back 40 billion yen. After April 2013 the major shareholders were expected to guarantee the payments for some 100 billion yen in loans. Japan Atomic Power refused to disclose the buyer. Japan's first nuclear activity in a previously non-nuclear country was to be four 1000 MW reactors at Ninh Thuận 2 Nuclear Power Plant . The feasibility study was to be carried out by Japan Atomic Power Company. Japan Atomic Power Company were also to consult
4875-525: The widespread reluctance of the Japanese population to build nuclear reactors in the country. Thirty-two million Japanese people, a third of the Japanese population, signed a petition calling for banning hydrogen bombs . Journalist and author Foster Hailey wrote an op-ed piece published in The Washington Post where he called for adopting a proposal to build nuclear reactors in Japan, stating his opinion that: "Many Americans are now aware...that
4950-413: The year 2000, has accelerated, now including previously dynamic Miyagi . Despite this, Sendai City has grown, in part due to relocations of people affected by the 2011 disaster. The population decline of Aomori, Iwate and Akita Prefectures, Honshu's three northernmost, began in the early 1980s after an initial loss of population in the late 1950s. Fukushima Prefecture, prior to 1980, had traditionally been
5025-454: Was being sought from the new Nuclear Regulatory Agency for 24 units to restart, of the 54 pre-Fukushima units. The units also have to be approved by the local prefecture authorities before restarting. In July 2015 fuel loading was completed at the Sendai-1 nuclear plant, it restarted 11 August 2015 and was followed by unit 2 on 1 November 2015. Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Authority approved
5100-445: Was exposed to radiation levels above legal limits, and over 660 others received detectable radiation doses but within permissible levels, well below the threshold to affect human health. The Mihama Nuclear Power Plant experienced a steam explosion in one of the turbine buildings in 2004 where five workers were killed and six injured. There have been many nuclear shutdowns, failures, and three partial meltdowns which were triggered by
5175-465: Was greatly damaged" by the Fukushima disaster, and calls for a reduction in the nation's reliance on nuclear power. It also omits a section on nuclear power expansion that was in last year's policy review. Nuclear Safety Commission Chairman Haruki Madarame told a parliamentary inquiry in February 2012 that "Japan's atomic safety rules are inferior to global standards and left the country unprepared for
5250-428: Was greatly damaged" by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and called for a reduction in the nation's reliance on nuclear power. Despite protests, on 1 July 2012 unit 3 of the Ōi Nuclear Power Plant was restarted. A comprehensive assessment by international experts on the health risks associated with the Fukushima I nuclear power plant disaster concluded in 2013 that, for the general population inside and outside Japan,
5325-448: Was knowingly built close to the centre of the expected Tōkai earthquake . Katsuhiko Ishibashi previously claimed, in 2004, that Hamaoka was "considered to be the most dangerous nuclear power plant in Japan". The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also expressed concern. At a meeting of the G8's Nuclear Safety and Security Group, held in Tokyo in 2008, an IAEA expert warned that
5400-551: Was part of a policy at enhancing nuclear reactor use, including restarting many, extending older units' lives, and developing new reactor technologies. In February 2023, the cabinet approved this policy and the construction of new reactors. By May 2023, a law was enacted to officially omit shutdown periods from the 60-year limit, subject to the economy minister's approval. The law also required the NRA to perform inspections every 10 years for reactors over 30 years of operation. Japan has had
5475-625: Was seeking the full involvement of Japan in the ASTRID development. In 2015, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy changed the accounting provisions of the Electricity Business Act, so companies can account for decommissioning costs in ten yearly installments rather than a one-time charge. This will encourage the decommissioning of older and smaller nuclear units, most of which have not restarted since 2011. In 2022, during
5550-575: Was shut down three days after restart due to an internal failure, and Unit 3 in March 2016 after the district court in Shiga prefecture issued an injunction to halt the operation of the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant. Of all the 54 nuclear reactors built prior to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, 43 of them remain operable but only a mere 9 reactors are currently in use. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in 2017 that if
5625-401: Was vulnerable to tsunamis more than twice as tall as the forecasts of as much as five meters put forth by regulators and Tokyo Electric". Minutes of the meeting on 19 February 2004, show that the government bureaucrats running the committee moved quickly to exclude his views from the committee's final report. He said the committee did not want to force Tokyo Electric to make expensive upgrades at
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