With the discovery of a 48th body on the slopes of Mount Ontake last week, the volcano's eruption became Japan's deadliest in 88 years. It's impossible not to worry about an even bigger volcanic threat that lies just 145 km from Tokyo: Mount Fuji. All this has both seismologists and anti-nuclear activists asking anew whether the most earthquake-prone nation in the developed world should be restarting its 48 nuclear reactors, which have been offline since a record earthquake in March 2011 precipitated the Fukushima crisis.
I'm in the "no" camp, and not just because the public disapproves of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's coddling of the shadowy nuclear industry. My argument — one I've made before — is as much about Japan's economic future as the personal safety of the 126 million Japanese I live among.
The tragic explosion at Mount Ontake showed the dark side of Japan's geographic position, located along the so-called Ring of Fire. But it's also a timely reminder that the country is more blessed than cursed when it comes to natural resources. As China and India choke on fossil fuels, Japan possesses an enviable mix of water, wind and, most importantly, geothermal resources to fulfill its energy needs.