Anti-nuclear shareholders in major Japanese utilities called for an end to nuclear power generation at general shareholders' meetings on Wednesday, citing safety concerns and a lack of support in local communities.
Among the proposals at the meetings of eight power producers were withdrawal from the nuclear power business and decommissioning of plants, but the utilities rejected the calls, citing nuclear power's contribution to stable supply of electricity and lower energy prices.
At the meeting of Kansai Electric Power Co. attended by around 680 shareholders, Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa said the utility should move away from nuclear dependency amid continuing repercussions from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.