"No. 24 [Conversion] Ushering in a New Era! Bill to Promote Renewable Energies"
Looking Squarely at the Future and ""The next era" (6): Towards a society that does not rely on nuclear power".
"No. 24 [Conversion] Ushering in a New Era! Bill to Promote Renewable Energies"
--- "Energy Shift Now!" Meeting (June 15)
Actress Ms. Miyuki Matsuda
Ms. Matsuda: You are the only person who can drive this change right now. I earnestly ask for your leadership on this. (Applause from the audience)
A letter of request seeking the enactment of the Bill to Promote Renewable Energies during the current Diet session is handed to the Prime Minister
--- Commemoration Ceremony of the 50th Anniversary of the OECD, Paris, France (May 25)
Prime Minister: Madam Chair, Japan will now review its basic energy plan from its basis and is set to address new challenges!
Narration: This year in May, the Prime Minister declared Japan's "new challenges" on the international stage.
Prime Minister: We will engage in drastic technological innovation in order to increase the share of renewable energy in total electric power supply to at least go beyond 20% by the earliest possible in the 2020s!
Narration: Excluding hydroelectric power generation, renewable energies currently account for just 1% of total electric power supply. A key driver for vastly expanding this ratio is precisely the Bill to Promote Renewable Energies.
Breakdown of Electric Power Supply (FY2007)
- Natural gas: 282.2 billion kWh (28%)
- Nuclear power: 263.8 billion kWh (26%)
- Coal: 260.5 billion kWh (25%)
- Petroleum: 135.6 billion kWh (13%)
- Hydroelectric power: 78.4 billion kWh (8%)
- Renewable energies: 10.0 billion kWh (1%) (excluding hydroelectric power)
Source: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Energy Supply and Demand Structure in 2030"
Narration: It used to be that electric power had to be transported from afar from large power generating stations. Today, solar panels and other devices have made privately-owned power generation technologically feasible. Nevertheless, the still high installation costs and lack of stability have prevented its widespread adoption. Against this backdrop, the new bill will allow electric power companies to purchase privately generated power at fixed prices. This is expected to increase the number of households and other entities utilizing privately-owned power generation with a sense of assurance, advance the mass production and research of solar panels and other devices, decrease costs significantly, and furthermore, increase stability. Ultimately, it will allow Japan to realistically reduce its dependence on nuclear power and other non-renewable energy sources. This bill will, indeed, be the entry point to the energy reform with the public's participation!
--- "Energy Shift Now!" Meeting (June 15)
Ms. Takako Momoi, NPO Kiko Network
Ms. Momoi: This legislation has been much anticipated by us, citizens, for many decades.
Singer Ms. Tokiko Kato
Ms. Kato: I sincerely pray for its enactment.
Narration: "Energy Shift Now!" is a public meeting that seeks to convert Japan's energy supply to renewable energies. At this meeting attended by a range of influential people and Diet members, the Prime Minister said...
Prime Minister: The choice is not between fossil fuels and nuclear power. The job of specialists or politicians is to create options. This bill will be a step forward for the development of options, and I would like this bill to be passed no matter what it takes!
Narration: In 1980, politician Naoto Kan wrote the following in one of the policy documents from the election which he first won.
From a policy document
Nuclear power stations continue to pose high risks. The development of naturally existing renewable energies, including solar, wind, and geothermal, ought to be promoted.
--- Open Forum
Narration: The Prime Minister currently holds open forums using the Internet. Here, too, opinions are exchanged on energy policy with a variety of influential people.
Former coach of the Japan national soccer team Mr. Takeshi Okada (at the Prime Minister's Office)
Mr. Okada: We are borrowing nature from our descendants. Something we are borrowing should not be destroyed, dirtied, or damaged.
Musician Mr. Ryuichi Sakamoto (via video)
Mr. Sakamoto: The technology is already out there. We just haven't been putting it to use. If we put our minds to it, we can definitely do it.
Film director Mr. Hayao Miyazaki (via mobile video)
Mr. Miyazaki: Please pass the natural energy bill. Whether you are quitting or not quitting, keep urging and making appeals to the people.
Prime Minister: This is an issue which I must tackle based on my responsibility as Prime Minister. At the same time, I will be thoroughly engaged in this issue for as long as I live. Thank you very much for your contributions today.
""The next era" (6): Towards a society that does not rely on nuclear power"
At yesterday's press conference, I indicated my fundamental stance that "we will aim at a society that does not rely on nuclear power. We will reduce our degree of dependence on nuclear power in stages and in the future realize a society that is able to get along without nuclear power."
I also stated candidly at this press conference that, having experienced the earthquake disaster and nuclear accident of March 11, my own way of thinking about nuclear power has changed. Until then, my view had been one of "utilizing nuclear power while paying adequate attention to safety." However, the week after the earthquake disaster, as I stayed even overnight at the Prime Minister's Office working to bring the situation under control, was truly a spine-chilling time for me in determining how to keep the nuclear-related damage from spreading. Once a nuclear accident spreads, as in the current case, it is impossible to avoid wide-scale evacuations and long-term impacts. In considering the magnitude of the risk of an accident, I came to believe that we should aim to create a society that does not rely on nuclear power.
While there have been some doubts concerning my remarks at yesterday's press conference, insofar as a concrete path forward was not clearly set out, in the comments submitted through the Prime Minister's Office's website, on Twitter, and elsewhere, I have been receiving a great response supporting my remarks. I consider it important to first of all set forth a clear direction in this way, and in the future it will be necessary to have fully-fledged discussions on the concrete path forward.
Discussions finally began today at the Diet on the Bill to Promote Renewable Energies, an important first step in this "concrete path forward." I am strongly determined to bring this bill into enactment. In addition, with regard to a long-term course further into the future, the Energy and Environment Council was already launched at the end of June. Chaired by the Minister for National Policy, this Council seeks to formulate innovative energy strategies.
Furthermore, today Minister for National Policy Koichiro Gemba stated during questioning at the Diet that the Energy and Environment Council will put forth its views on "stability in electrical supply and demand in the near future," at roughly the end of this month.
How shall we transition smoothly to this "next era" in which we can get along without nuclear power? The work that will bring this into concrete form is now moving ahead, one step at a time.
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