A year after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, Taiwan finds itself, like many countries around the world, having to make a difficult choice between retreating from nuclear energy or committing further to it.
Yet no other country faces quite the same set of circumstances shared by the two East Asian neighbors, a combination of need and risk that guarantees whatever decision is made will be painful.
Although Taiwan has never suffered an accident like Fukushima, the crisis has cast a pall over Taiwan's existing nuclear facilities and plans for future development, and has caused the government of President Ma Ying-jeou to adjust its position as it tries to navigate between public opinion and energy reality.