In light of the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the education ministry wants the plug pulled on pro-nuclear power instruction in Japanese classrooms.
In light of the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the education ministry wants the plug pulled on pro-nuclear power instruction in Japanese classrooms.
The education ministry has decided to lift the requirement that at least 30 percent of a school education subsidy, nominally aimed to promote the use of nuclear power, be used on the education of nuclear power instead.
"The government as a whole used to promote the use of nuclear power until the Fukushima disaster, but there are a diversity of opinions on energy policy now," said Kazuhiko Ikegawa, who heads the education ministry's Office for Regional Relations for R&D Facilities. "There is a need to learn about the negative aspects of nuclear power generation."
The "subsidies for assistance to nuclear power and energy education," which was created in fiscal 2002, are derived from revenues from the "tax for the promotion of power resources development," which is levied as part of electricity rates.
In fiscal 2011, 30 prefectures received a total of 270 million yen ($3.2 million), while 310 million yen will be allocated in fiscal 2012. In most cases, the subsidies have been used to purchase teaching materials on energy sources, including nuclear power.
Starting in fiscal 2012, which begins in April, local governments will be allowed to use most of the subsidies for classroom instruction on solar and other natural energy sources, and less than 30 percent on nuclear power education.
The education ministry has instructed local governments to abide by the 30-percent minimum requirement since 2006, when the finance ministry pointed out that the subsidies "should be focused more on the promotion of support of nuclear energy."
That requirement was never modified even after last March, when the Great East Japan Earthquake triggered the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
A number of local governments in the Tohoku region, hit hard by the Great East Japan Earthquake, have declined the subsidies on the grounds that they would have difficulty gaining the support of residents.
The Asahi Shimbun ran an article on the subsidies on Jan. 22.
On Jan. 24, education minister Hirofumi Hirano issued a directive that "school education should not focus too much on nuclear power but should take up a broad range of subjects related to natural energy sources."
The education ministry will modify the guidelines for the subsidies and make eligible the purchase of teaching materials on the danger of nuclear plants. Such purchases are not allowed under the current guidelines.