Ever since the Fukushima nuclear disaster happened in March 2011, Japan has been against the usage of nuclear energy. On September 15, 2013, Japan started switching off its last operating nuclear reactor for inspection. So far, no date has been scheduled for a restart of the reactor due to strong protest by the public.
The recent move of switching off the reactor has left the world’s third-largest economy without atomic energy for the second time since the Fukushima nuclear crisis, which erupted in March 2011. The nuclear power supplied one-third of the nation’s electricity before a tsunami knocked down the cooling system and sparked meltdowns at Fukushima, which caused evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
In May 2012, Japan was without any nuclear energy and all of the country’s 50 commercial reactors stopped for checkups after the Fukushima disaster. Due to opposition by the public, utilities were immediately unable to restart the reactors. This was the first time in more than four decades that Japan had been without nuclear power.
The government officials and utilities voiced their concern at the time that Japan might face major blackout without nuclear power, particularly in the western region which heavily relied on nuclear energy.
Photo Credits: CBSI
