According to Japanese media reports, the Japanese government is revising nuclear energy regulations to extend the operating life of existing plants and install new reactors at existing old ones -- a clear shift to nuclear power to ensure electricity supplies after the 2011 Fukushima disaster and a path to carbon neutrality by 2050.
Japan's nuclear authority has approved a new draft law that would allow nuclear reactors to operate beyond the current 60-year limit. Under the new law, a plant's license could be renewed every decade after 30 years of operation The new nuclear regulation amendment, which is expected to be approved by parliament next year, will allow Japan to restore a large number of existing nuclear reactors and develop a new generation of reactors. Before the 2011 Fukushima disaster, Japan's 54 nuclear reactors provided a third of its energy The government decided in 2014 to gradually approve restarts after safety checks, and power companies applied to restart 27 reactors, but only 10 were approved. The Japanese government plans to increase nuclear power's share in the energy mix to 22% by 2030. In 2021, nuclear power accounts for about 4% of Japan's energy mix The government intends to raise that to 22% by 2030, a goal that will require the restart of 27 reactors. In addition, under the new plan, retired reactors will be replaced by safer next-generation reactors, which should replace about 20 older reactors For the Japanese government, nuclear power is not only a matter of energy security but also a path to carbon neutrality by mid-century. But the government's push to use nuclear power without public input or wider debate has led controversial critics at home to point out that there is still no solution to the problem of nuclear waste, which continues to accumulate The Japanese government has said it will deal with the final disposal of nuclear waste, but after decades of repeated attempts, those promises have so far failed to materialise.