As of May 6, Japan became a nuclear power-free zone. All of the nuclear plants throughout the country are offline, either as a result of last year's Fukushima disaster or routine maintenance. The government and electric power companies are hoping to see them back in action soon, but public sentiment remains strongly skeptical.
That sentiment is wise. There were only two nuclear reactors in Japan in 1970. There are now 50 — with crippled reactors 1 to 4 at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant recently declared defunct.
In 1970, nuclear power accounted for only 1.6 percent of total electricity generation in Japan. That ratio rose to 29.9 percent before the Fukushima crisis. That is certainly a very steep expansion curve. Was such a speed really justifiable? Did we really need all this hurry to go nuclear? Did we really know enough about the technology to make such extensive use of it commercially?