Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis this ongoing conflict has triggered has resulted in a change of plans for Japan.  They just recently announced they will make maximum use of nuclear power, in a bid to realize a carbon-free society while ensuring stable electricity supplies.

This change in plans marks a departure from their previous policy of reducing dependence on nuclear energy, brought about after the 2011 tsunami that resulted in a meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 power plant.

Now their plan calls for building next-generation nuclear reactors to replace decommissioned ones within the premises of the nuclear plants, ending a freeze on any projects to add, expand, or replace their reactors.

Japan will also change a rule that limits the operating life of reactors basically to 40 years but tolerates an extension to up to 60 years upon regulatory approval. Under the plan, Japan will allow power companies to operate reactors beyond the 60-year limit by excluding periods when reactors are halted for safety inspections or other reasons.

The government drafted the plan late last year and solicited public comments for a month from December 23, 2022.  Many of the 3,303 comments received were critical of the nuclear policy shift, according to a senior official of the industry ministry.