Japan’s renewable energy plans to face fierce resistance

Japan’s future renewable energy plans, spearheaded by the country’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan, is set to be faced with strong resistance, according to a leading politician at the Liberal Democratic Party. The opposition lawmaker refers to the fact that strong ties remain between politicians and energy companies, whose relationship could be severely damaged if the notion gathers pace.

“We know the LDP has received a huge amount of money from the power companies, and the Democratic Party of Japan gets support from the power company labor unions,” said Tar Kono, an LDP lawmaker who agrees with the phasing out of nuclear power. “How we break that vicious circle is a test we have to pass. I’m not optimistic, but it’s time for the LDP to leave the power companies and join the public in promoting an alternative to the current energy policy,” Tar Kono added.

A parliament bill put forward by Kan in support of wind, solar and geothermal sources is again likely to anger power companies, something many politicians want to avoid. Keidanren, the country’s largest business lobby, has already voiced its concerns at the renewable energy drive, with the President of online retailer Rakuten Inc. quitting the group due to its support of the movement towards renewable resources.

Prime Minister Kan has made it a priority to reduce Japan’s reliance on nuclear energy since this year’s earthquake and tsunami devastated the country’s Fukushima nuclear plant. The fallout from the Fukushima disaster has seen Kan come under increasing pressure to step down, due to his handling and response to the earthquake that took the lives of more than 20,000 Japanese citizens.

Speaking at a ceremony to commemorate 66 years since the Hiroshima bombing, Kan announced the plans of his government to reduce Japan’s reliance on nuclear power. Nuclear power currently supplies nearly a third of the country’s electricity.