Japan Must Phase Out Nuclear Power, PM Says

The New York Times reports:

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Wednesday that Japan should reduce and eventually eliminate its dependence on nuclear energy in what would be a radical shift to the country’s energy policy, saying that the Fukushima accident had demonstrated the dangers of the technology.

It was the strongest stand yet taken by Mr. Kan against nuclear energy in the aftermath of the multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was ravaged in the March 11 tsunami and set off a substantial radiation leak. At least 80,000 people have been evacuated from around the plant, and radioactive materials have been detected in tap water as far away as Tokyo, as well as in agricultural produce like vegetables, tea and beef.

“Japan should aim for a society that does not depend on nuclear energy,” Mr. Kan said at a nationally televised press conference. “We should reduce our dependence in a planned and gradual way, and in the future, we should aim to get by with no nuclear energy.”

He added, “When we think of the magnitude of the risks involved with nuclear power, the safety measures we previously conceived are inadequate.”