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The historic political change was driven by a triple crisis in the Fukushima nuclear power country in March 2011

Japan announced its intention to end its dependence on nuclear energy within 30 years, a historic political change caused by the triple crisis at Fukushima.

The decision to close the 50 reactors operating in the country around 2040 marked a dramatic change of course in a country that had previously defended atomic energy, putting in Japan and Germany Switzerland also diverted to nuclear energy after the disaster.

Japan third world user of nuclear power before the disaster, had planned to increase the share of nuclear in the energy mix to 50% by 2030. But the country's reliance on nuclear energy severely weakened after the Fukushima accident has sent radioactive material into the ocean and the atmosphere, food and water contaminated, and forced the evacuation of 160,000 residents.

"Based on the face of the reality of this serious accident and draw lessons from the accident, the government has decided to revise the national energy strategy from scratch," said one guidance document released Friday. "One of the pillars of the new strategy is to achieve a society that does not depend on nuclear energy as soon as possible."

This decision comes after two months of public consultation and large anti-nuclear demonstrations in Japan has ever seen. Local media said the cabinet decided to approve the recommendation of the panel, with an official announcement soon.

plan renewable energy accounts for about 30% of Japan's future energy mix - an eightfold increase from 2010 levels -. And development of sustainable use of fossil fuels

In the short term, however, the change will force Japan to increase its already high dependence on oil and natural gas, which calls into question their ability to achieve agreed global CO2 emissions.

"It is a strategy to create a new future," a policy statement, after senior ministers finalized the decision on Friday. "This is not a utopia. From a practical strategy. "

The report indicates that Japan should try to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas emissions by 20% below 1990 levels and reduce energy consumption through increased efficiency by 10% levels in 2010.

environmental activists welcomed the decision but said that the withdrawal should have come earlier. "The government's strategy is an assignment Nuclear nearly two decades later as needed," said Kazue Suzuki, Greenpeace Japan nuclear activist. "It also offers the clarity of the business community renewable energy, not nuclear is the future.

"We are only at the starting line," said Noda. "Now we will begin a very difficult task. Regardless of how difficult it is, you can not turn it off."

However, if, as many expect, Noda part is replaced by a more conservative government after the next election, there is no guarantee that the non-nuclear policy will survive.

Japan without nuclear power was briefly earlier this year after 50 operating reactors were shut down for safety checks.

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