[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that he will continue to promote the restart of nuclear power plants that were shut down following the '2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.'
On the afternoon of the 11th, Prime Minister Kishida made this statement in response to a question from Yukio Edano, leader of the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, during the House of Representatives plenary session.
Prime Minister Kishida emphasized, "To achieve 'net zero carbon emissions by 2050,' it is necessary to utilize all options including nuclear power," and added, "It is important to promote the restart of nuclear power plants that meet the new regulatory standards with the understanding of the local residents."
Prime Minister Kishida is scheduled to inspect the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on the 17th. The Japanese government halted the operation of all nuclear power plants following the Fukushima Daiichi accident during the Great East Japan Earthquake, but has since been gradually restarting those plants that meet the new standards.
On this day, Prime Minister Kishida stated, "Drawing on my experience of serving as Foreign Minister for four years and seven months, I will build trust with leaders of various countries and conduct summit diplomacy." Since his inauguration on the 4th, Kishida has had phone calls with foreign leaders from the United States, China, Australia, and India. A phone call with President Moon Jae-in has not yet taken place.
Regarding North Korea policy, he said, "The abduction issue (of Japanese citizens by North Korea) is the most important task," and added, "I will meet directly with Chairman Kim Jong-un without any preconditions."
In response to Edano's question about whether Japan will participate as an observer in the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which came into effect in January this year, Kishida expressed a negative view. Observers are allowed to attend meetings and speak but do not have voting or proposal rights.
Prime Minister Kishida pointed out the limitation that no nuclear-armed country has joined the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and added, "As the only country to have suffered atomic bombings in war, Japan must make efforts to involve nuclear-armed countries."
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