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Getting to Zero: Doing the Nuclear Math about Japan's Ageing Reactors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2025

Martin J. Frid
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By the beginning of 2013, Japan is relying on just two nuclear reactors to fulfill the nation's enormous demand for electricity. There is a strong push to re-start the remaining reactors from Keidanren, the leading business association, and from the electric power companies, while the New Abe administration has already signaled its intention to review the nuclear power program. It is not so much the revelations about earthquake faults and other dangers; there is something wrong with the entire chain of reasoning driving the new energy agenda. This raises an important question. Are the plants really safe? Is even one of them safe? This article reviews the safety situation of every one of Japan's 54 reactors and assesses the logic of restart.

Type
Research Article
Information
Asia-Pacific Journal , Volume 10 , Issue 53 , December 2012 , e2
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2012

References

Notes

1 Genpatsu Zero no Kai (Blog in Japanese only) <here>

2 Reuters (20120912) Japan aims for zero nuclear power in 2030s <here>

3 Asahi Shimbun (20120628) Lawmakers’ group identifies Japan's most dangerous nuclear reactors <here>

4 NHK World 20121220 Reactor screening to begin in July or later <here>

5 Tomari Nuclear Power Plant (Wikipedia)

6 NHK World/JAIF (pdf)

7 Higashidori Nuclear Plant (Wikipedia)

8 NHK World (20121220) Team finds faults at nuclear plant possibly active <here>

9 Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant (Wikipedia)

10 Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Earthquake, Lessons from the Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake <here>

11 Yomiuri Shimbun (20120210) Fukushima No. 2 plant was ‘near meltdown’ <here>

12 Reuters (20120718) Japan to restart second reactor amid faultline concerns <here>

13 Tokai Nuclear Power Plant (Wikipedia)

14 Kyodo/The Japan Times (20121222) Probability of strong quakes revised upward for eastern Japan <here>

15 NHK World/JAIF (pdf)

16 Mihama Nuclear Power Plant (Wikipedia)

17 Takahama Nuclear Power Plant (Wikipedia)

18 Japan Focus: Power Politics: Japan's Resilient Nuclear Village <here>

19 Shimane Nuclear Power Plant (Wikipedia)

20 New Scientist (20070728 Where not to build nuclear power plants (Article behind paywall)

21 Asahi Shimbun (20120620 NISA: Quake estimate for Shimane too low <here>

22 AFP/Japan Today 20121220 Quake risk seen at Rokkasho nuclear fuel reprocessing plant <here>

23 Genpatsu Zero no Kai (20120906 Genpatsu Kiken-do Ranking (pdf)

24 Fresh Currents: Aileen Mioko Smith on Post- Fukushima Realities (pdf)

25 Asahi Shimbun (20120821) Lawyer, writers call for legislation on nuclear phaseout <here>

26 Coalition Against Nukes <here>