Although Japan is reputed to be one of the most technologically advanced nations in nuclear power generation, it now faces a serious "brain drain" as some of its highly experienced nuclear engineers are lured to work in other countries for much better remuneration than they could hope to receive at home.
On June 21, Hitachi Ltd., a Japanese industrial giant, won a ¥400 billion contract to construct a nuclear power station in Lithuania, on the heels of a similar deal by a consortium of Hitachi, Toshiba Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. to build two nuclear power stations in Vietnam.
In Japan, public opinion has been increasingly against nuclear power generation since the March 11, 2011, accidents at Tokyo Electric Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.