Japan's Energy Policy After the 3.11 Natural and Nuclear Disasters – From the Viewpoint of the R&D of Renewable Energy and Its Current State

Abstract

After the attacks of a magnitude-9 earthquake and massive tsunamis on the northeast coast of Japan on 11 March 2011, the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) lost all cooling systems, and then three reactors of the plant suffered meltdown. This resulted in the scattering of huge amounts of radioactive substances over the northeast part of Japan. 324 858 people were evacuated from their homes immediately after the natural and nuclear disasters. Of these, more than 150 000 people are still (as of 9 March 2013) evacuated due to the influence of radioactivity. The Japanese government will publish a new energy basic plan at the end of December 2012 according to the latest Energy White Paper 2012 issued on 16 November 2012. A public opinion poll by the government in August 2012 revealed that 70% of the Japanese people want to stop nuclear power, and prefer an energy transition to safe and clean energy systems such as renewable energy. On the other hand, Japan's economic and industrial communities insist on the further use of nuclear power to avoid unstable power supplies and increases in electricity charges. This chapter reviews the FDNPP accident and discusses its influence on Japan's energy policy. The ongoing advances in the introduction and diffusion of renewable energy policy and hydrogen technology in Japan are considered.