Japan sacks top anti-nuclear power officials

Action sends clear signal that nuclear power will remain in national energy mix.

The Liberal Democratic Party has fired six of eight members who voted to completely phase out the use of nuclear power. The six were members of the post-Fukushima energy policy advisory board to the government.

Promiment among 10 reappointed members to the advisory board is Akio Mimura, an adviser for Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation, who headed an energy advisory board under a previous LDP administration that all supported nuclear power. He is the advisory board’s new chairman.

Analysts said the pro-nuclear energy government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not completely phase out nuclear power but will likely adopt a 15% to 20% nuclear policy but never a zero nuclear policy.

It is highly likely that the government and the power companies will not try to revive the pre-Fukushima plan for boosting nuclear power’s share of electricity to 50% on account of massive public anger at the nuclear power industry in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.