Nuclear opponents may sway Japan vote

TOKYO – Japan’s government came under fire on Tuesday over its handling of public hearings on nuclear energy policy, threatening to dent already sagging support for the ruling party ahead of an election many expect to be this year.

The latest furor follows Monday’s massive rally in Tokyo against nuclear power in the wake of the fukushima disaster, an issue now so contentious that lawmakers and analysts say it could trump taxes as the focus of lower house elections, which must be held by September 2013.

“This gives the impression that they haven’t learned anything,” said Koichi Nakano, a professor at Sophia University, after news that power companies’ employees were among the few chosen to speak at hearings on changes to energy policy after Fukushima.

It was an echo of a scandal just one year ago, when Kyushu Electric Power sought to sway public opinion at a hearing on restarting reactors in southern Japan.

In a sign of the growing discontent, more than 100,000 anti-nuclear protesters marched in Tokyo on Monday, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, already struggling as his Democratic Party unravels over plans to hike the sales tax to curb public debt. “The anti-nuclear people are calling for the Democrats to be voted out,” Nakano added.

The rally was the biggest since Noda said last month Japan needs to restart idled nuclear reactors to protect jobs and the economy.

The government is considering three options for its medium-term energy portfolio – reduce nuclear power’s role to zero as soon as possible, aim at a 15-per-cent share by 2030, and seek a 20- to 25-per cent share by the same date.