Japanese economy takes off, but country needs nuclear power
Tokyo (AsiaNews) - The energy crisis that hit the Far East after the closure of nuclear power plants in Japan is having a "huge impact" on the economies of Japan and South Korea This is revealed by a survey conducted among Japanese people by the newspaper Asahi Shimbun : according to data collected by the newspaper 60% of the population does not want to see nuclear plants reopened, but 51% expect "economic growth" from the government.
The closure of
the all reactors was ordered by the executive after the Fukushima disaster,
which occurred in March of 2011. The
structures were reinforced and subjected to rigorous security checks, but they
are still shut: the government led by Shinzo Abe announced that it will reopen them
by the summer to bring down energy prices and restart industrial production.
The
data collected show by Asahi depict a sharply divided country. 27%
of the population approve of the use of nuclear energy for economic growth, but
58% do not want to reopen the plants. At
the same time, 51% say they agree with the policies of Abe for economic
recovery, even though the vast majority of respondents said that the national
economy "has not improved" since the government took office in
December 2012 . According
to the National Cabinet, however, from January to March 2013, the economy grew
by 1% compared to the previous quarter.
The tragedy of
Fukushima has created a snowball effect in South Korea and Taiwan, nations that
have been using atomic energy for several decades. The
Seoul government was forced by public opinion to "freeze" the
national plants "review them",
and last month - to control energy prices - it approved the construction of alternative
power plants.
One
of these, near the city of Miryang, is not acceptable to the local population who
believe it is useless and harmful. The
Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) proceeded in construction work
until a group of protesters chained themselves to the gates on the 24th of May.
To
try to calm the waters, South Korea's Bishops' Commission for Justice and Peace
has called "both sides for calm."
The President of the Commission, Msgr. Matthias
Ri Iong-hoon, has sent a message to the protesters and to the Kepco leadership,
"Nothing is more important than human life, therefore a construction that
damages the residents cannot be justified. However, the issue must be addressed
with wisdom: stop the construction
and resume the dialogue, so that we can resolve the issue in a peaceful manner.
"
Instead
Taiwan is in the grips of heated debate over the "Nuke 4", the fourth
power plant under construction in New Taipei. Although
the island aims to become fully sustainable by 2025, the government now intends
to proceed with the construction of the facility to keep energy costs low. But the decision
has created several
domestic disputes.
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