Nuclear power will most assuredly be part of the energy portfolio of any country that wants a diverse, reliable energy grid.
Still, you can hardly blame Japan for backing off from it after the extremely dangerous Fukushima disaster in 2011, when a tsunami led to one of the worst nuclear disasters in world history:
Nor can you blame the country for reconsidering its stance as fuel prices soar worldwide:
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday Japan will restart idled nuclear plants and consider developing next-generation reactors, in a policy reversal that will see the nation turn back toward atomic energy as fuel prices soar worldwide.
Kishida told reporters he had instructed officials to come up with concrete measures by the end of the year. ...
In recent years the country has also imported greater amounts of natural gas and coal to meet its energy needs.
But Kishida has renewed calls to reduce its dependency on these fuels, and outlined plans for Japan to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050 while at the Cop 26 summit last year.
Prime Minister Kishida on the country's nuclear grid right now:
For reference, here's what happened at the plant in 2011 following a major earthquake just off the coast of Japan:
Systems at the nuclear plant detected the earthquake and automatically shut down the nuclear reactors. Emergency diesel generators turned on to keep coolant pumping around the cores, which remain incredibly hot even after reactions stop.
But soon after a wave over 14 metres (46ft) high hit Fukushima. The water overwhelmed the defensive sea wall, flooding the plant and knocking out the emergency generators.
Workers rushed to restore power, but in the days that followed the nuclear fuel in three of the reactors overheated and partly melted the cores - something known as a nuclear meltdown.
The plant also suffered a number of chemical explosions which badly damaged the buildings. Radioactive material began leaking into the atmosphere and the Pacific Ocean, prompting the evacuations and an ever-widening exclusion zone.
You get why they got scared. You also get why they're getting back on board with nuclear!
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