Topic:
Country: Japan
Delegate Name: Lizzy Zaremski
Japan has experienced major destruction due to nuclear power. An example of this is the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan caused a nuclear accident beginning on 11 March 2011. Up until 2011, Japan was generating some 30% of its electricity from its reactors and this was expected to increase to at least 40% by 2017. The plan is now for at least 20% by 2030, from its depleted fleet. Also, a lot of far east Asia countries have a large nuclear power capacity. Japan’s decision to permanently shut down five reactors that had not generated electricity since 2011. All of Japan’s nuclear plants were closed, or their operations were suspended for safety inspections. The last of Japan’s fifty-four reactors went offline for maintenance on 5 May 2012, leaving Japan completely without nuclear-produced electrical power for the first time since 1970. 4.8% of Japan’s power comes from nuclear power. Nuclear power in Japan can also cause deaths due to complications in factories. Japan has never used nuclear power in wars or conflict zones, but other countries (ex: the USA) have used atomic bombs and nuclear power against Japan. Which caused major destruction and killed thousands in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Japan adopted a plan to extend the lifespan of nuclear reactors, replace the old and even build new ones. Japan uses nuclear and atomic energy often, but not as much since the Fukushima accident. 1998 was the highest nuclear production year for Japan. Japan has 33 nuclear power reactors classed as operable. However, in 2013 the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) established new regulatory requirements, and just 10 reactors have since received clearance from the regulator to restart. Japan is promoting greater use of nuclear energy to ensure stable power supply amid global fuel shortages and to reduce carbon emission. Even though Japan has experienced extreme atrocities from nuclear power, they won’t abandon it. Japan needs nuclear power because its grid is not connected to neighboring countries, nor is it able to boost output of domestic fossil fuels.
Japan plans to shift investment from nuclear to renewables, aiming to derive all of its future power from sources like solar and wind in its latest call to abandon nuclear power. Opposition to nuclear along with the use of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, has also come from within the government, but some nuclear power is coming back, so it won’t be completely abandoned.
