Money will be no barrier in decontaminating communities in Fukushima Prefecture exposed to radiation, Goshi Hosono, the state minister in charge of dealing with the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, said on Sept. 15.
Money will be no barrier in decontaminating communities in Fukushima Prefecture exposed to radiation, Goshi Hosono, the state minister in charge of dealing with the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, said on Sept. 15.
"The central government will deal with (decontamination) with unwavering resolve, and we will handle the situation without concern for economics," Hosono said in the opening speech at the Asahi Global Environment Forum 2011 held in Tokyo and sponsored by The Asahi Shimbun.
Hosono also indicated that Japan would have to move away from its current dependence on nuclear energy, which generates about 30 percent of the nation's electricity.
"It is the consensus of the public to further lower the dependence on nuclear energy," he said.
He indicated Japan would have to promote renewable energy sources to both reduce dependence on nuclear energy and to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
The keynote address for the first day's session was delivered by Sadako Ogata, president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Touching upon the assistance given to Japan following the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake by many nations, including developing ones, Ogata said, "It is Japan's mission to continue to create relationships of mutual dependence."
She also stressed the need for dealing with environmental issues from a global perspective.
"We have to think about what kinds of effects will be passed on to people, regardless of where they live in the world," Ogata said.
In a panel discussion on nuclear power and energy policy, Bernd Tischler, the mayor of Bottrop, Germany, pointed to the experience of Germany in deciding to move away from nuclear energy after debate that has extended for 30 years.
While some people have raised concerns about increased costs associated with a conversion to renewable energy sources, Tischler said it can also lead to revitalizing the economy. He said it is the path for the future.
In explaining what happened in Germany, Tischler said debate was conducted by members of all sectors of society, and that the shift to renewable energy sources has created jobs and will lead to a safe and stable supply of energy.
Four other panelists were in the session, which was moderated by Keiji Takeuchi, senior staff writer at The Asahi Shimbun.
In response to a question about how Japan's nuclear energy policy should be changed, Takuya Hattori, president of the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, said: "There will be a need for greater transparency. Although I worked in the electric power sector, data disclosure has been insufficient. For example, considering the situation this summer, there has not yet been a comprehensive assessment of demand and supply of electricity.
"Debate will not proceed unless information is disclosed about where an excessive burden was placed, what measures were implemented to cover shortages and what the costs were."
The other panelists were Nobuo Tanaka, former executive director of the International Energy Agency, Tetsunari Iida, executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, and Frank von Hippel, professor of public and international affairs at Princeton University.
The forum will continue until Sept. 17.