Prime Minister Naoto Kan urged an about-face in Japan 's energy policy Wednesday, saying he wants to phase out the use of nuclear power as the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant has shown that the risks of atomic energy are too great.

The statement marks a complete reversal from Japan 's previous policy to make nuclear power its main source of electricity, and is a step further than Kan 's recent comments that he wants to reduce its share.

But Kan did not give a timetable for reducing the share of nuclear energy, and many lawmakers question whether such a major shift in policy should be carried out by Kan , who has said he will step down once key bills on quake reconstruction are enacted.

"We should aim to have a society that does not rely on nuclear power," Kan told a televised press conference. "In the future, we should realize a society that can carry on without nuclear reactors."

Nuclear energy currently accounts for about 30% of the country's total power supply.

Following the nuclear crisis triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Kan said the government's current energy policy to boost the share of nuclear energy to over half of total power supply by 2030 should be reconsidered.

"I have come to realize that this is a technology that cannot be controlled by previous safety measures," Kan said, adding the disaster had altered his thinking.

The astonishing shift in the nation's basic energy policy is likely to cause an uproar in both political and business communities, where just last week, Kan's surprise announcement of an indefinite delay in restarting suspended nuclear reactors in order to conduct additional safety tests provoked outrage.

Kan 's remarks also came after the government cautioned Wednesday in its monthly economic report that electricity supply shortages could weigh on the nation's still-fragile economy.

Prior to his surprise announcement, Kan had maintained that nuclear energy would continue to be a significant power source for the resource-poor nation, alongside a wider role for renewable energy and conservation.

Japan's economy minister earlier Wednesday called for consistency in the country's energy policy, saying that decisions on the future should be made once the Fukushima crisis subsides:

"It's easy to talk about going off nuclear power, but replacing it with fossil fuels will have the same effect as increasing corporate taxes by 30%," Kaoru Yosano said at a press conference before Kan's announcement.

Japan Federation of Business Associations, the country's most influential business lobby, has warned that companies may shift operations overseas if concerns over power shortages persist.

Moreover, unlike Italy and Germany, where anti-nuclear energy policies were reached after referendums or extensive government discussions, Kan's policy u-turn can hardly be said to be supported by the public, or even his own administration.

In a poll by the national daily Mainichi newspaper published July 4, 37 % of those polled supported restarting currently suspended nuclear reactors.

Kan ruled out speculation that he would dissolve parliament and call a snap election over energy policy, but added that the voters have the right to choose their energy policy.

The prime minister said there was possibility that nuclear reactors now shut for maintenance would go back online, but also said there should be enough electricity supply to get through this summer and winter due to current conservation efforts.

Consumers in affected areas such as Tokyo are being called upon to cut usage by as much as 15% from normal levels due to the shutdown of plants after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The government is planning to study if a mandatory power conservation will be also be required in western Japan, which is suppiled by a separate grid with different frequencies to eastern Japan, as the prolonged outage of nuclear plants threatens to spread power shortages throughout the country.

Διαβάστε ακόμα