Nuclear crisis turns Japan ex-PM Kan into energy apostle
Nuclear crisis turns Japan ex-PM Kan into energy apostle
Published: Friday, 17 Feb 2012 | 3:20 AM ET
..."Having experienced the 3/11 nuclear disaster, I changed my way of thinking. The biggest factor was how at one point, we faced a situation where there was a chance that people might not be able to live in the capital zone including Tokyo and would have to evacuate," Kan told Reuters in an interview on Friday.
"If things had reached that level, not only would the public have had to face hardships but Japan's very existence would have been in peril."
That convinced Kan, in office for less than a year when the March 11 triple disaster struck, to declare the need for Japan to end its reliance on atomic power and promote renewable sources of energy such solar that have long taken a back seat in the resource-poor country's energy mix.
"While many technological measures can be taken to secure safety at nuclear power plants, such measures on their own cannot cover great risks," said Kan, sitting in front of a calligraphy scroll inscribed with the ancient Chinese proverb "Be Brave, But Not Reckless"...
Much more at:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/46423847