Japan Committed To Nuclear Power Despite Fukushima Fiasco

Control rods were lifted Tuesday from the reactor core at a nuclear plant in southern Japan, ending a ban on nuclear power following meltdowns at Fukushima.
Japan Committed To Nuclear Power Despite Fukushima Fiasco
Police and security guards stand outside Sendai Nuclear Power Station, Aug. 11, 2015. With the pull of a lever, control rods were lifted Tuesday from the No. 1 reactor core at the plant, ending a ban on nuclear power following meltdowns in Fukushima that forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes, most of them for good. Hiroko Harima/Kyodo News via AP
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TOKYO— With the pull of a lever, control rods were lifted Tuesday from the reactor core at a plant in southern Japan, ending a ban on nuclear power following meltdowns at Fukushima in the northeast that forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes, most of them for good.

Crowded, energy-scarce Japan remains committed to nuclear power despite the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant and its messy aftermath, for economic, environmental and political reasons.

Polls show that most Japanese don’t want nuclear power, but public opinion has been trumped by leaders who say keeping the country’s 43 workable reactors offline forever would be too damaging economically.

A protester shouts slogans during an anti-nuclear rally in front of Prime Minister's official residence in Tokyo, Aug. 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
A protester shouts slogans during an anti-nuclear rally in front of Prime Minister's official residence in Tokyo, Aug. 11, 2015. AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi