The Cabinet on Tuesday approved bills that will allow nuclear reactors in Japan to be operated beyond the current limit of 60 years as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions while ensuring adequate national energy supply.
Following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, Japan introduced stricter safety standards under a reactor regulation law that limits the operation of nuclear reactors to 40 years in principle and up to 60 years if safety upgrades are made.
However, the lifespan of nuclear reactors will instead be regulated under an electricity business law after the planned change. Those bills, which have been bundled into a green transformation decarbonization bill, will be deliberated in the current parliamentary session.