New Japanese PM favors nuclear power

Shinzo Abe says he will re-open or build nuclear power plants.

This recent announcement by Japan's new Prime Minister backtracks on his campaign promise to move Japan away from nuclear power. He did not specify where or when he intends to begin building the new nuclear plants, however.

His announcement is also at odds with moves by his predecessor, Yoshihiko Noda, to phase out nuclear power in Japan by 2040. Abe made his pro-nuclear power remarks in his first televised interview since taking office.

“They will be completely different from those at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant,” he said. “With public understanding, we will be building anew."

It also appeared to go against a campaign platform adopted by Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party that made no mention of new nuclear plants. The platform also said Japan would put the development of alternative energy sources like solar and wind ahead of nuclear power.

Analysts said Abe believes that Japan’s silent majority will agree to a return to nuclear power to help strengthen the economy.

Abe’s pro-business party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections last December, campaigning on promises to take bolder measures to kick-start Japan’s stalled economy. Japan's biggest business lobby, the Keidanren, has publicly urged the government to restart the nation’s reactors.