The Fukushima crisis and the future of Japan's power industry

Abstract

Japan's power sector is at a major turning point. The ongoing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear facility highlights to the general public the potential dangers associated with Japan's ambitious nuclear power targets and its preparedness for natural catastrophes. East-West Center's Fereidun Fesharaki and Tomoko Hosoe argue that after the Fukushima nuclear crisis, the Japanese government will need to make a comprehensive, urgent reassessment of the power industry and develop a new, integrated energy policy to achieve a greater degree of energy security while meeting climate change goals.