Khaldon Azhari

TOKYO: Junichiro Koizumi and Naoto Kan, former Japanese prime ministers, renewed their call to eradicate the nuclear reactors so their country becomes totally nuclear free along with reducing fossil fuel consumption, and promoting hydrogen energy.

March marks 10 years since the Tohoku quake and tsunami crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant causing the worst nuclear disaster in the history.

During a press conference on March 1. Koizumi and Kan warned about “the danger of the nuclear energy and its waste” and that the only viable choice for Japan now is to change its nuclear power policies and move to renewable energy sources.

Once political rivals, Junichiro Koizumi– popular reformist who served as Liberal Democratic Party prime minister from 2001 to 2006– and Naoto Kan–the former Democratic Party of Japan prime minister at the time of the March 11, 2011– joined hands as they announced their anti-nuclear drive.

“I feel ashamed that, when I was a prime minister, I supported plans to provide Turkey with Japan’s nuclear tech… We should stop promoting nuclear business and marketing our technology,” Kan said.
 
Koizumi, on his part, said while oil and gas helped maintain Japan’s needs for energy during the crisis the oil shock in 1973, the price of barrel jumped causing inflation, so with the new policy of reducing the carbon emissions, the solution now is alternative energy.