Japan to push for next-generation nuclear power, Nikkei says

Japan PM Fumio Kishida

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to call for development of new-generation nuclear power plants, the Nikkei newspaper said on Wednesday, as soaring energy prices have eased some of the longstanding resistance to the power.

Kishida is expected to announce the new plan during the Green Transformation (GX) conference to be held later on Wednesday, the newspaper said without citing sources.

The move could mark a turnaround for Japan, which has kept most of its nuclear reactors idled in the decade since a massive tsunami triggered a disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in 2011.

Public opinion had broadly opposed nuclear restarts following the Fukushima disaster, but the tide has shifted given rising fuel prices and a hot summer that spurred calls for energy-saving.