National | FOCUS Jun 23, 2021

As Japan reboots 44-year-old nuclear reactor, experts sound alarm

Kansai Electric Power Co. restarted the No. 3 reactor at its Mihama station in Fukui Prefecture on Wednesday.

National Feb 5, 2020

A trip to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant: Full-body suits and three layers of socks

Reuters was recently given exclusive access to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, where three reactors melted down in 2011 after a powerful earthquake and tsunami overwhelmed the seaside facility. It was my fourth visit to the plant since the disaster to report on a ...

Business Dec 24, 2019

How rare earth shocks lifted an upstart Australian mining company

Sprawled across a spent volcano on the remote edge of the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia, the Mount Weld mine seems a world away from the U.S.-China trade war. But the dispute has been a lucrative one for Lynas Corp., Mount Weld's Australian owner. ...

National | ANALYSIS Nov 1, 2018

Japan's nuclear industry growing but likely to miss government's 2030 target

Operators can expect as few as six units to restart in the next five years, and fewer than 20 by 2030.

Business Apr 19, 2018

Hokkaido test site outshining other carbon-capture options in race to reduce emissions

A test site in Japan for burying carbon dioxide (CO2) below the seabed off Hokkaido is showing more promise than other carbon, capture and storage (CCS) projects by cutting costs and increasing efficiency, its developer says. While the $300 million (about ¥32 billion) site at ...

National Nov 7, 2017

Japan nuclear watchdog says restart approval pace unlikely to speed up

The pace of approvals for nuclear reactor restarts in Japan, where most plants remain shut following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, is unlikely to pick up in the coming years, the new head of Japan's nuclear regulator said in an interview on Tuesday. The comments from ...

National Sep 24, 2017

Quiet energy revolution underway in Japan as dozens of towns go off the grid

A Miyagi city's efforts to rebuild its electrical power system after 3/11 mark a quiet shift away from Japan's old utility model and toward self-reliant, local generation and transmission. After losing three-quarters of its homes and 1,100 people in the March 2011 Great East Japan ...

Business Apr 30, 2017

Norway takes on Australia in bid to fulfill Japan's hydrogen society dream

Norway and Australia race each other to show they can supply Japan with hydrogen, which has ambitions of becoming the first nation to be significantly fueled by the superclean energy source.

Environment Dec 12, 2014

Japan's coal binge stirs international climate fears

Once at the forefront of the global warming battle, Japan is being pressured to set fresh emissions targets as it burns dirty coal energy to replace nuclear.

Business / Economy Oct 23, 2014

U.S. calls out Japan on coal plant exports

The United States has challenged the Japanese government over moves to ramp up exports of coal-fired power technology and to offer cheap loans to lure buyers, according to a U.S. source with direct knowledge of the matter. Japan's shipments of the equipment soared to nearly ...