CONSULTING

power, support its early phase-out, and remain opposed to the restart of reactors—with latest
polling in February 2016 indicating about 60 percent opposed to reactor operations. 581
The polling came prior to Japan’s largest earthquake since 2011, which struck the island of Kyushu
in mid-April 2016. 582 The two major earthquakes on 14 and 16 April and hundreds of aftershocks
did not cause damage to the Sendai nuclear plant, located around 150km from the epicentres, or
at the Genkai and Ikata nuclear plants, which are also in relative proximity to the seismic events. 583
However, the fact that the largest earthquake to hit Kyushu since 1889 took place in the region of
Japan’s only operating nuclear plant raised further widespread public and political opposition,
including criticism of the seismic risk assessments of Japan’s Nuclear Regulation
Authority (NRA). 584 The Kumamoto seismic events were unique in that, for the first time, two
registered level 7 earthquakes on the Japanese seismic intensity scale occurred in separate
municipalities, they are also the first twin earthquakes to register intensity 7, since the adoption
of the Japanese scale in 1949, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). 585 The effect of
this has been to further sensitize Japanese public opinion to the earthquake risks to nuclear power
in Japan.
The government of Prime Minister Abe, elected in December 2012, confirmed in 2014 a new
Strategic Energy Plan. It reversed the previous government’s position, announced in
September 2012, that called for a zero nuclear power future by the 2030s. 586 In April 2015, the
Long-term Energy Supply and Demand Outlook was proposed, which set the percentage of energy
the nation aims to generate from different sources by the year 2030. 587 Adopted in July 2015, it
was decided that a nuclear share of 20-22 percent, renewable energy of 22-24 percent, and fossil
fuels 56 percent would be achieved by 2030. 588 The proposed nuclear share is below the pre-
Fukushima projection within the Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry’s (METI)
581 Nikkei, “Opposition to nuclear power plant re-running 60 percent headquarters poll”,
29 February 2016, (in Japanese), see http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXKASFS28H1F_Y6A220C1PE8001/,
accessed 12 May 2016.
582 Bloomberg, “Japan's Worst Quake Since 2011 Seen Delaying Nuclear Starts”, 26 April 2016, see
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-26/japan-s-worst-quake-since-fukushima-seen-delayingnuclear-starts,
accessed 2 July 2016.
583 NRA, “Situation of Nuclear Facilities following the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake”, News Release,
18 April 2016, see https://www.nsr.go.jp/data/000147663.pdf, accessed 17 June 2016.
584 South China Morning Post, “Activists, residents in Japan protest against restart of two Sendai nuclear
reactors located less than 150km from recent quakes’ epicentre”, 18 April 2016, see
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1936923/activists-residents-japan-protest-against-restarttwo-sendai,
accessed 2 July 2016.
585 The Mainichi, “Kumamoto temblors are first twin level-7 quakes on record: JMA”, 21 April 2016, see
http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160421/p2a/00m/0na/007000c, accessed 2 July 2016.
586 The Energy and Environment Council, “Innovative Strategy for Energy and the Environment”,
Government of Japan, 14 September 2012.
587 METI, “Long-term Energy Supply and Demand Outlook”, (Provisional Translation), July 2015, see
http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2015/pdf/0716_01a.pdf, accessed 17 June 2016.
588 Kenji Kaneko, “Japan Announces Energy Mix Plan for 2030”, Clean Tech Institute, Solar Power Plant
Business, 1 May 2015, see http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20150501/416800/?ST=msbe,
accessed 17 June 2016.
Mycle Schneider, Antony Froggatt et al. 151 World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2016