Creating a Solar Belt in East Japan: The Energy Future

Extract

This article provides an unusual corporate perspective on nuclear power from SON Masayoshi, the CEO of SoftBank, a Japanese telecommunications company. The Fukushima disaster led him to oppose nuclear power and take up the cause of renewable energy. Son's stance is especially significant because he has broken with the rest of big business in Japan, leaving the “nuclear village” behind.

Son discusses some of the inadequacies of government and corporations revealed by the Fukushima disaster, such as the inadequacy of cellphone networks, a technological failure that made it difficult to provide immediate relief. Even more troubling, he says, TEPCO and the Japanese government deliberately spread misinformation, a moral failure that certainly endangered many citizens. After criticizing his own firm, TEPCO, and the government, Son explains that he launched a website to help coordinate recovery efforts following the 3/11 earthquake, and he established the Renewable Energy Foundation, which pushes the government to adopt policies favorable to renewable energy. He argues that nuclear power is not a sustainable option on financial grounds either; the Fukushima disaster, costing both lives and money, proved that nuclear power is too expensive and should be phased out. Even without the added costs of recovery from disasters, nuclear power is actually three times more expensive than commonly believed. Son had heard repeatedly that the unit cost of nuclear power is 5-6 yen for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy produced, but he recently examined the official figures and was surprised to see a pre-accident unit cost of 15-20 yen/kWh. Son therefore urges the Japanese government to adopt a pro-renewable energy policy, particularly focusing on solar power.