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Yomiuri Shimbun file photo The No. 2 reactor, lower left, at the Shimane nuclear power plant, was reactivated in early December 2024.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
21:00 JST, February 18, 2025
The government approved a revised Strategic Energy Plan at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the first time the policy had been updated in three years.
The revised plan, which serves as guidelines for the nation’s mid- to long-term energy policy, clearly states that renewable energy and nuclear power generation will be “utilized to the maximum extent possible” to ensure a stable supply of electricity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Previously, the policy stated that it would “reduce the dependence on nuclear power as much as possible.” This wording was removed, indicating a change of policy that was adopted after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
On the same day, the government also approved a plan for measures against global warming, which includes targets for greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, and the 2040 vision for green transformation, a strategy for decarbonization and industrial policies. Based on these, the government aims to achieve a carbon-neutral society with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
At a press conference following the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto said, “Based on the Strategic Energy Plan and other measures, we will aim to simultaneously achieve a stable energy supply, economic growth and decarbonization.”
The Strategic Energy Plan sets a fiscal 2040 target to achieve a mix of energy sources comprising of 40%-50% for renewable energy, 20% for nuclear power and 30%-40% for thermal power. It is assumed that electricity demand will increase by up to 20% from current levels mainly due to the increase in data centers caused by the increase of artificial intelligence applications. The increase will be covered by utilizing renewable energy and nuclear power as decarbonized power sources. Previously, target ratios for 2030 were set at 36%-38% for renewable energy and 20%-22% for nuclear power.
Regarding renewable energy, the plan calls for strengthening the use of next-generation perovskite solar cells, offshore wind power, geothermal power and other sources to achieve the target. For nuclear energy, the government will promote the restart of nuclear reactors where safety has been confirmed and will allow the power company to build new reactors on sites of their other power plants instead of being limited to sites that are set to be decommissioned.
In addition, the government will seek to reduce the amount of thermal power generated, which accounted for 68.6% of power supplied in fiscal 2023, and will look to promote the use of hydrogen, ammonia and others as fuels as they do not emit CO2 when burned.
The plan for measures against global warming, approved by the Cabinet at the same time, sets targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their 2013 levels by 60% in fiscal 2035 and by 73% in fiscal 2040.
The Paris Agreement, an international framework for measures against global warming, requires countries to submit their reduction targets. Japan’s previous plans called for a 46% reduction by fiscal 2030.
