Japan reverses nuclear phaseout plan adopted after Fukushima

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has adopted a new policy promoting greater use of nuclear energy to ensure stable power supply amid global fuel shortages and to reduce carbon emissions, in a major reversal of its phase-out plan following the Fukushima crisis. The new policy says Japan must maximize the use of existing nuclear reactors by restarting as many of them as possible and prolonging operating life of aging reactors beyond their 60-year limit, and by promoting research and development of next-generation reactors to replace them. Anti-nuclear sentiment and safety concerns rose sharply in Japan after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, and restart approvals have since come slowly under stricter safety standards.