Japanese decision marks a major change in policy. This decision brings Japan into line with countries such as Germany and Switzerland. Germany wants to abandon nuclear energy as early as 2022 and Switzerland by 2034. Japan's anti-nuclear movement has grown stronger rapidly since the Fukushima disaster. Before Fukushima, one third of energy in Japan was generated by its 50 nuclear reactors. There were plans in place to raise this proportion to 50 percent by 2030. All but two of the reactors have now been idled for safety checks, but the government still plans to allow more units to restart if they are deemed safe by a new atomic regulator.
Japanese lobbiests argue that exiting nuclear power in favor of fossil fuels and renewable sources will harm the Japanese economy by raising electricity prices. Japan is now heavily dependent on Middle East oil and has been forced to increase oil imports to make up the energy shortfall since the Fukushima accident.
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