21 October, 2021
Kishida Makes First Visit to Fukushima Since Becoming Prime Minister
On October 17, Prime MinisterFumio Kishida visited Fukushima Prefecture, which had been struck by a massive earthquake and nuclear accident in March 2011. There, he toured decommissioning sites and elsewhere at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants（NPPs） belonging to the Tokyo Electric Power Co.（TEPCO）
Regarding the release into the sea of water treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS-treated water), he told the press that seeing the overwhelming number of storage tanks, he keenly realized the importance of the issue, adding that action could not be postponed.
In April, the former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had decided to release the water into the sea. TEPCO plans to start the release in the spring of 2023.
Referring to opposition to the water release by various local parties, Prime Minister Kishida emphatically said, “Working together with the IAEA, the Japanese government will act transparently and explain the safety of the water from a scientific point of view. We will make full efforts to eliminate concerns.”
Positioning NPPs as an option to supply electri...more
- 7 October, 2021 Kishida Administration Inaugurated, with New METI Minister Hagiuda Holding Press Conference on Taking Office
- 6 October, 2021 IAEA Holds 65th General Conference in Vienna, with Japanese Minister of State for Science and Technology Delivering Statement in the General Debate
- 30 September, 2021 JAEC Releases 2020 White Paper on Nuclear Energy
- 17 September, 2021 NRA Permits Shimane-2 under New Regulatory Standards
- 14 September, 2021 IAEA Deputy Director General Evrard Visits Japan in Advance of Safety Review of ALPS-treated Water
- 1 September, 2021 Evaluation Report Issued by IAEA’s Review Mission to Fukushima Daiichi: First Visit since 2018
- 24 August, 2021 METI and IAEA Agree on Further Review Missions to Fukushima Daiichi
- 4 August, 2021 JAEA Restarts High-Temperature Engineering Test Reactor “HTTR”
- 2 August, 2021 Information about Fukushima Daiichi NPS Water Treatment
- 28 July, 2021 METI’s Committee Shows Rough Draft of Next Strategic Energy Plan
- 2 July, 2021 Mihama-3 Restarted After Decade-long Hiatus: First Restart in Japan of a Reactor Operating Beyond 40 Years
- 28 June, 2021 Mihama-3 Restarts after Decade-long Hiatus
- 25 June, 2021 New Canada-Japan Partnership Supports Greater Collaboration to Meet Climate Change Objectives and Net-zero Goals
15 October, 2021
LDP Adds SMR Development and Nuclear Fusion to NPP Restarts in Its Policy Manifesto
On October 12, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) announced its platform for the general election slated to take place on October 31. It presents the direction for governmental policy, structured on eight pillars: (1) coronavirus measures, (2) “new capitalism,” (3) regional revitalization, (4) agriculture, forestry and fisheries, (5) economic security, (6) diplomacy and security, (7) education, and (8) constitutional revision.
According to an LDP pamphlet describing its 2021 policies, the party actively supports investments in clean energy in the areas of energy and environmental protection, specifically in the following fields: (1) energy conservation, (2) the restart of nuclear power plants (NPPs) whose safety has been confirmed, (3) the promotion of automotive motorization, (4) storage batteries, (5) hydrogen usage, (6) underground small modular reactors (SMRs), and (7) carbon recycling.
Regarding the development of nuclear fusion, meanwhile, the nation will aim for its commercialization as a key next-generation source of stable energy.
In the area of environmental protection in the electricity field, R&D will proceed on technology to recycle early-stage solar panels and lithium-ion batteries.
Al...more
