Nuclear disaster

One elderly Japanese woman says that the earthquake that struck on March 11 was the worst she had ever experienced. "Then our whole way of life changed," she explains. "We ate in the dark like we had done during the war. We started thinking about how we use energy for the first time. This accident has made us think very deeply."

With two thirds of Japan's nuclear reactors no longer connected to the power grid, much of the country's electricity is currently being supplied by hydroelectric plants but power cuts are frequent.

In Tokyo, people have already got used to energy-saving measures but now people living in the south and west also have to cut down on their use of energy.

Renewables versus nuclear?

Although former Prime Minister Naoto Kan called for a serious debate on Japan’s nuclear and energy policy, ensuring that a law on renewable energies got through parliament before he stepped down, his successor Yoshihiko Noda has been less interested in following this path.

Kan said that the disaster had changed his whole attitude to nuclear power, but Noda wanted first and foremost to consolidate his position first and garner support: "Politicians need dreams, willpower, passion and a warm heart," he said. "There is a lot of mistrust on the part of the population towards politicians because these things are missing."

Noda has said that no new nuclear plants will be built but he does want the existing ones to be brought back into operation as soon as it is considered safe.　

Generally the Japanese population, and especially people living near nuclear plants, has become very skeptical about what the authorities say about safety. Over half want nuclear power to be phased out completely if the government can come up with appropriate alternatives, whereas others say that the economic and social consequences might be too devastating.

Many issues to resolve

Everybody seems reassured, however, that the Fukushima 1 reactor has been stabilized, with the temperature in the three pressure chambers falling well below 100 degrees and fewer radioactive particles being released into the environment.

However, there are still many issues to resolve says Hajimu Yamana from Kyoto University, who heads the commission that has been set up to look into the disaster, and he says it could take up to 30 years.

"What will we do with the spent fuel rods in the cooling pit?" he asks. This is just one of the questions that need answers urgently. "We need to look into the pressure chambers but this is currently not possible because of the high radioactivity, so we need to develop the right technology." Moreover, he adds, the leaks have to be stopped and the holes in the pressure chamber need to be plugged but it is not yet clear how to do this.

Another problem is what to do with the rubble that piled up from the tsunami. Some 22 million tons of garbage, consisting of the remains of wooden houses, apartments and machines, have amassed in the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, and need to be disposed of or burnt. However, officials and citizens are unwilling to take responsibility for burning the waste because they are worried it is radioactive.

Going home?

Meanwhile, those who lost their homes to the tsunami or were forced to evacuate the region near the crippled nuclear reactor wonder when or if they will be able to return home.

Ine Okura and Kikuno Hoshiba moved into a provisional home in May and were also given a million yen in compensation (around 9,000 euros) by the government. Their new home is equipped with a fridge, a rice cooker, crockery and a television, and they think they will spend the rest of their lives there.

"Apparently we can live here for two years rent-free," they explain. "But two years is not enough. We are already pretty old and we don’t have enough money. We can’t build our houses again and we don’t have any relatives left. So we have no other choice than to stay here afterwards."

Author: Peter Kujath / act
Editor: Grahame Lucas