Energy policy debate falls dormant in Upper House election despite growing risk
Rising tensions in the Middle East following a recent U.S. strike on nuclear facilities in Iran have fueled concerns that the Strait of Hormuz, a key corridor for crude oil transportation, may be closed. A Strait of Hormuz closure would deal a blow to Japan's energy security as the country is heavily reliant on imports for fossil fuels.
Opposition parties are divided over whether Japan should utilize nuclear power.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, a proponent of nuclear power, has avoided explicitly mentioning its stance in its campaign pledges for the race for the upper chamber of the country's parliament.
All parties are in favor of using renewable energy, but the level of enthusiasm differs by party.
The government adopted at a Cabinet meeting in February a new basic energy plan that shifted away from its previous policy of reducing dependence on nuclear power as much as possible. The new policy said the country will make maximum use of nuclear and renewable energy as power sources that do not emit carbon dioxide.
The shift reflects an expected surge in electricity demand, driven by the construction of new data centers and semiconductor plants as well as the expansion of existing facilities, amid the growing use of generative artificial intelligence.
The Organization for Cross-Regional Coordination of Transmission Operators, which coordinates electricity supply and demand across Japan, expects power demand in fiscal 2034 to grow by 5.8% from fiscal 2024 to 852.4 billion kilowatt-hours.
In last year's election for the House of Representatives, the lower parliamentary chamber, the LDP pledged to make maximum use of nuclear power and other energy sources that contribute significantly to decarbonization.
But the party has avoided clearly mentioning this stance for the upcoming election, instead saying that it will "do everything possible to secure power capacity and work on the stable supply of energy."
The LDP's decision not to position the maximum use of nuclear power as a key part of its campaign vows has made nuclear policy a relatively minor point of contention between the ruling and opposition camps.
Opposition parties are divided over nuclear power policy and have varying stances regarding renewable energy policy.
The Democratic Party for the People pledges to actively utilize nuclear power and renewable energy, for which Japan has less dependence on imports, as part of its vows to boost energy self-sufficiency to 50%.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan calls for not allowing construction and expansions of nuclear power plants, and it seeks to fully source power from renewable energy by 2050. It pledges ¥200 trillion investments, including ¥50 trillion in public funds, for renewable energy and energy conservation measures.
The Japanese Communist Party has touted a "zero nuclear power plants" policy, pushing for a full reliance on renewable energy for power generation by fiscal 2040. Reiwa Shinsengumi is aiming for an immediate abolition of nuclear power plants.
Although power generation using renewable energy sources does not emit CO2, electricity output can be swayed by the weather and is unstable. Opposition parties' pledges are not seen as sufficiently presenting a solution to this.
The government is aiming to raise the proportion of nuclear energy in the country's power supply mix from the current 8.5% to about 20% in fiscal 2040, and to increase energy self-sufficiency from below 20% to around 30% to 40%. But achieving these targets would require the operation of over 30 nuclear reactors, far more than the 14 currently in operation.
Some parties, including the DPP and Nippon Ishin no Kai, are calling for the construction of next-generation nuclear reactors. But interparty debate necessary for clearing the high hurdle to achieving this is nowhere in sight.
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