Japan is all set to turn to nuclear power more than a decade after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, The Guardian reported on Wednesday (Feb 12) citing a draft strategic energy plan, reportedly to be approved by the cabinet this month. The move comes as the nation said it is struggling to reach its emissions targets and bolster its energy security. 

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The report mentioned that the trade and industry ministry signalled it was ditching attempts to lessen Japan's reliance on nuclear power which started after the Fukushima disaster. 

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Japan, on March 11, 2011, was hit by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake, which was centred in the Pacific Ocean about 80 kilometres east of the city of Sendai. The disaster wiped out 120,000 buildings and led to a partial meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. 

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According to the US Geological Survey, it was the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan and the fourth largest recorded worldwide since 1900. As per the data released officially, the number of those confirmed dead or listed as missing from the 2011 disaster was about 18,500. Another estimate is at least 20,000. 

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Japan had 54 nuclear reactors providing nearly 30 per cent of the nation's energy before the disaster and according to the International Energy Agency, only 14 of those have been switched back on, with nuclear providing less than nine per cent of power in 2023. 

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The latest Strategic Energy Plan by the government reportedly called for a "maximisation" of nuclear power and dropped a reference to "reducing reliance" on nuclear energy. The nation has set a target for nuclear to provide a 20 per cent share of the nation's grid by 2040. 

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As quoted by ABC News, a visiting researcher at Tokyo's Institute for Future Initiatives, Parul Bakshi, said that the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent disruption of global energy markets also helped highlight the risk of Japan's heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels. 

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She said, "So while Japan is not heavily reliant on Russia for gas … Japan is re-evaluating how it perceives energy security." 

As quoted by The Guardian, Aileen Smith, executive director of the Kyoto-based group Green Action said, "Nuclear plants are not where the Japanese government should be investing its money. Many nuclear plants are old, and the technology they use is even older. The costs of retrofitting are high, so even operating existing plants is no longer commercially viable." 

(With inputs from agencies)