Japan's Future Reliance on Nuclear Power: Noda Administration Chooses "15%" Anyway, Despite 90% of 90K Public Comments Wanted "0%"

Farce, charade, tatemae, facade, or you could call it "democracy" as practiced in most of the western world. The foregone conclusion presented as a choice for people, so that people can delude themselves that they have some say in the state affairs. (See my previous post on nearly 90,000 people sending in their opinions, exercising their democratic right, tatemae or not, and how the statisticians dissed the result.)

(By the way, the statisticians (university professors) were probably hired by the private think-tank Mitsubishi Research Institute to whom the government outsourced the analysis of the public comments.)

Jiji Tsushin article makes it very clear what some people have suspected all along - that the government wants to set "15%" as the policy all along. If I remember right, these people were criticized as "cynical" by the fellow Japanese. What can I say.

The Noda administration has the usual lip service to the (naive) citizens: "Zero nukes in the future". What future?

From Jiji Tsushin (9/1/2012):

「将来的に原発ゼロ」＝中間目標３０年に１５％以下－国民に協力要請へ・政府検討

"Zero nuke plants in the future" with intermediate target in 2030 at 15% or less - the government is considering requesting cooperation from Japanese citizens

政府は１日、新たなエネルギー政策について「将来的に原発ゼロを目指す」ことを打ち出す方向で検討に入った。関係閣僚でつくる「エネルギー・環境会議」で９月上旬にも決定し、野田佳彦首相が発表する方針だ。２０３０年の原発比率は１５％以下とし、原発をゼロにするまでの中間目標と位置付けることも検討している。政府関係者が明らかにした。

The national government started the discussion on September 1 over the new national energy policy, which will likely state "[Japan] will aim for zero nuclear power in the future". The "Energy and Environment Conference", made up of the administration's ministers in the related fields, will decide [on the policy] in the early September, and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will announce the new policy. The reliance on nuclear energy in the year 2030 will be 15% or lower, and the government is also considering positioning it as interim target to zero nuclear power. An unnamed government official disclosed [to Jiji Tsushin].

　政府は新エネルギー施策について、３０年の原発比率を１５％とすることを念頭に置いてきた。しかし、７月以降に行った意見聴取会や討論型世論調査で、原発ゼロを求める意見が多かったことから、政府としてゼロを目指す姿勢を示す必要があると判断した。新政策は、エネルギー・環境会議で決める「革新的エネルギー・環境戦略」に盛り込む。これにより、原発依存を高めてきた日本のエネルギー政策は転換点を迎えることになる。

The government has considered all along to set the reliance on the nuclear power in the year 2030 at 15% as the new energy policy. However, as the opinion surveys and focus group surveys in July and August revealed that many people wanted zero nuke plants, the government felt the need to show the attitude of aiming for zero nuke plants. The new policy will be part of the "Innovative Energy and Environmental Stragegy" that will be decided by the "Energy and Environment Conference". It will mark a turning point for the Japan's energy policy which has increased reliance on nuclear energy.

　３０年に原発１５％以下の目標を達成するため、１５年から５年ごとに達成の度合いを検証する方針だ。

In order to achieve 15% reliance or less on nuclear power in 2030, the government will check the progress every 5 years starting 2015.

　新政策では、使用済み核燃料の最終処分や、風力・太陽光など再生可能エネルギーの普及など、原発ゼロに向けたさまざまな課題があることも指摘する。首相が記者会見などで「全国民に協力をお願いする」と呼び掛ける方向だ。

The new policy will also discuss various issues to achieve zero nuclear power, including the final disposal of spent fuel and spread of renewable energy like wind and solar power. The prime minister will use a press conference and other venues to ask for cooperation from every Japanese citizen.

"Innovative Energy and Environmental Stragegy" that will be decided by the "Energy and Environment Conference". Doesn't that sound wonderful, like in former Soviet Union planning?

Renewable energy? There is hardly any renewable energy source to meaningfully contribute to the power grid, but no shortage of energy anywhere in Japan. As to nuclear energy, only two reactors are currently in use (despite jellyfish), and Kansai hasn't had a single blackout. So? What kind of "cooperation" does Mr. Noda want?

More tax, I suppose, so that he has money to pay the bills come October.

Or to give big corporations big "wind" and/or "solar" projects, whether there are needs for them or not, and make citizens/residents foot the bill through subsidies and taxes.

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