CHAPTER 5
The Politics of Nuclear Power Plant Restarts
Versus Renewable Energy Promotion
Paul Midford
Introduction
This chapter examines the post 3-11 politics in Japan surrounding
restarting nuclear power plants versus promoting renewable energy. This
political debate has attracted international media attention and is often
cast in terms of two irreconcilable and extreme options: go back to the
pre-March 11, 2011 (3-11) 1 status quo of relying on, and even expanding
the use of, nuclear power, or adopting an immediate zero nuclear strategy.
The Abe administration’s support for restarting some nuclear power
plants, based on the safety authorizations given by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA), and Abe’s personal pronuclear position (Koizumi
2018, pp. 105–106), are often assumed to mean that the Abe administration was hostile toward renewables and wants to return to the pre-3-11
goal of nuclear expansion (e.g., Aldrich 2016; Aldrich et al. 2019; Incerti
P. Midford (B)
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim,
Norway
e-mail: paul.midford@ntnu.no
© The Author(s) 2021
P. Midford and E. Moe (eds.), New Challenges and Solutions
for Renewable Energy, International Political Economy Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54514-7_5
101
The Politics of Nuclear Power Plant Restarts
Versus Renewable Energy Promotion
Paul Midford
Introduction
This chapter examines the post 3-11 politics in Japan surrounding
restarting nuclear power plants versus promoting renewable energy. This
political debate has attracted international media attention and is often
cast in terms of two irreconcilable and extreme options: go back to the
pre-March 11, 2011 (3-11) 1 status quo of relying on, and even expanding
the use of, nuclear power, or adopting an immediate zero nuclear strategy.
The Abe administration’s support for restarting some nuclear power
plants, based on the safety authorizations given by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA), and Abe’s personal pronuclear position (Koizumi
2018, pp. 105–106), are often assumed to mean that the Abe administration was hostile toward renewables and wants to return to the pre-3-11
goal of nuclear expansion (e.g., Aldrich 2016; Aldrich et al. 2019; Incerti
P. Midford (B)
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim,
Norway
e-mail: paul.midford@ntnu.no
© The Author(s) 2021
P. Midford and E. Moe (eds.), New Challenges and Solutions
for Renewable Energy, International Political Economy Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54514-7_5
101