Japan PM to outline nuclear phase-down plan

TOKYO, July 13 (BSS/AFP) - Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan
was on Wednesday due to outline his plan to reduce the country's
reliance on nuclear power and promote renewables in the wake of
the Fukushima disaster.

The embattled centre-left leader has announced a full review
of Japan's energy plan, under which atomic power had been set to
meet over half of demand by 2030, up from about one third before
the March 11 quake-tsunami disaster.

Kan, who started his political life as an environmental
activist, has said he wants to make clean energy sources such as
solar, wind and geothermal a new "major pillar" of the industrial
power's energy mix.

The premier, Japan's fifth in as many years, is making the
speech at a time when he is under intense pressure to step down
from political adversaries who accuse him of having bungled
Japan's response to the tsunami.

Since the tectonic catastrophe struck, Kan has butted heads
with plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) over the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, the world's worst since
Chernobyl 25 years ago.

The premier's scepticism about boosting nuclear power in the
quake-prone island nation has also set him on a collision course
with pro-nuclear lawmakers, both in the conservative opposition
and within his own party.

The earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima plant,
which has suffered meltdowns and explosions and leaked radiation
into the air, soil and sea.

With all but 19 of Japan's 54 reactors now shut, mostly for
regular checks, Japan is going through a power crunch in the
sweltering summer months, and there are fears that outages could
slow the already limping economy.

Kan, in a press conference scheduled for 6:00 pm (0900 GMT),
was expected to present what he terms a "realistic" plan to ease
the nation's reliance on nuclear power, the Nikkei financial
daily and other media reported.

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Kan said: "We should
start over from scratch... We can't help but lower our reliance
on nuclear."

He also suggested that nuclear power companies may need to
be nationalised, calling for debate about the ability of the
private sector to run atomic power plants, given TEPCO's multi-
billion-dollar compensation bill.

Anti-nuclear sentiment in Japan has grown since the
Fukushima disaster.

Thousands have since protested at a string of rallies
against TEPCO and nuclear power and for a shift toward
alternative energy, while telecom giant Softbank has announced
plans to build large-scale solar power plants.

The liberal, mass-circulation Asahi Shimbun daily Wednesday
called for a shift toward a nuclear-free society within two or
three decades.

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