With energy conservation and renewable energy, Japan could phase out nuclear energy.
It is often said that without nuclear power, we cannot meet electricity demand, but the changing reality shows this is not the case.
In fiscal 2014, no nuclear plants were in operation, and even after that, the proportion of electricity generated by nuclear plants remained at only a few percent, but there was no electricity shortage.
This is due to an uptick in other electricity sources, and due to declining electricity consumption.
In fiscal 2012 and 2013, CO2 emissions increased due to an increase in thermal power generation, and some claimed that nuclear power was needed to cope with climate change. However, Japan’s CO2 emissions have been decreasing since fiscal 2014.
To deal with climate change we need to promote energy conservation and renewable energy, rather than relying on unreliable nuclear power.