Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan urged Taiwan to close all its nuclear power plants, as the island's legislature prepares to tackle the matter when it reconvenes next week.
Kan told an audience in Taipei that his experience dealing with the Fukushima nuclear crisis, which began in March 2011, changed his views on nuclear power.
"Nuclear power is not cheap and (is) as a matter of fact quite risky," he said Saturday. It takes a long time for radiation to decay. We should ask ourselves whether it is responsible to leave it for our children and grandchildren to take care of."