Looking at the constant public protests and ahead of an election, the Government of Japan is now looking forward to set a target to eliminate atomic power by the year 2030. This might result in a major policy shift for an economy which had earlier planned to boost the role of nuclear energy before Fukushima crisis.
Within months the Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is expected to call a snap election. As the Democratic Party’s ratings are going down, pressure is increasing to respond to a growing grass roots anti-nuclear movement and surveys showing that most voters want to abandon the nuclear energy eventually.
But such a decision would spark objections from the big business lobbies which say that an aggressive program to exit nuclear power will boost the electricity rates and force the companies to move towards production, jobs and overseas. Satoshi Arai, the DJP lawmaker said, “I think the zero by 2030 scenario is becoming mainstream (in the government)”.
On the other hand some of the economists have said that the new policy shift would result in opportunities for the companies who are now positioning themselves to profit and also for the economy overall. The earthquake and tsunami had led to the nuclear crisis which released the radiations in the air over a large area.
