By Sakura Murakami

KASHIWAZAKI Japan (Reuters) – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is fighting to start Japanese nuclear power stations that were shut down after the Fukushima catastrophe. If he loses, his leadership position will be at risk.

Japan only restarted a third its 33 operational reactors a decade ago, after three meltdowns at Fukushima prompted mass evacuations.

With 40% opposing it, the debate about whether or not to increase the number of these soldiers is fierce.

This is especially true in the rural areas that host the abandoned plants, which once depended on them to provide economic activity. Kashiwazaki (located 265km (165 miles) north of Tokyo) is home to the largest atomic power plant in the world.

Mie Kuwabara (a Kashiwazaki resident and an anti-nuclear activist) said, “The reason we feel so strongly is because it’s dangerous for us to feel this way.”

The pandemic is most important to voters. However, energy policy was brought into focus when Kishida won the nomination to be the Liberal Democratic Party’s chief.

Akira Amari, a party veteran and the architect of Kishida’s victory, took over a crucial party position. He immediately advocated for the restart of 30 reactors, as well as new smaller reactors that could replace older ones.

Amari states that Japan must return to nuclear power in order for it to achieve its 2050 carbon neutrality promise, prevent rising coal prices and reduce dependence on other countries.

Amari finds himself in an extremely tight race within his own district. Komeito is not supportive of Amari’s anti-nuclear coalition junior partner.

Kashiwazaki is also strong against his plans.

Mineo Ono is the LDP’s regional chapter leader. In the election for the leadership, Taro Kono was more popular than Kishida.

Ono blamed local suspicions for the numerous mishaps of Tokyo Electric Power Holdings, (Tepco)

After identifying operational problems such as faulty alarms for intruder detection and misuse of ID cards, the nuclear regulator stopped plans to restart the Kashiwazaki–Kariwa power plant. It can supply electricity to 24 million homes.

All across the nation, restarts were delayed because of technical issues, lawsuits or regulatory reviews.

Tepco emailed a statement in which it apologized and promised to work with locals to rebuild trust. Tepco stated that although nuclear energy can be instrumental in carbon neutrality, it is too late to talk about restarts.

The LDP is facing a dilemma as it polls suggest that the party may be on the verge of losing its simple majority. This outcome could still allow the LDP to remain in power due to Komeito’s coalition, however, that might lead to an internal push to remove Kishida.

According to Friday’s latest energy policy, the government announced it would increase renewable energy levels by 25% in 2020, increasing them from 66% in 2018. However, the government has stated that nuclear power will continue to provide approximately 22% of all energy in 2030.

“DIVIDING FACTOR”

Kashiwazaki (a city of 80,000) is located along the Sea of Japan coast. The evening is when buses take workers to the station.

“We are the home of the biggest nuclear reactor in the world. But that energy is mostly used to power Tokyo and its environs.” Ono of the LDP said that many people feel strongly about this. He said that there is a “divide” between Tokyo’s sentiment and Tokyo’s.

Tepco needs to restart its Fukushima facility. It claims that Kashiwazaki Karawa’s restart would result in fuel savings of $790 millions per year.

The local chamber of Commerce, however, was instrumental in winning the plant, established in 1985. It says that it has grown tired of Tepco’s many failures.

Masao Saikawa, chief of chambers of commerce said that it was almost impossible to bear seeing the state they were in.

Kenichi Hosoda is an LDP candidate from the district and serves as vice minister in the Ministry of Industry, overseeing energy policies. He has lowered his pro-nuclear messages to allay fears.

After a rally near the plant, he said that “now is not the right time to address the issue.”

Ono, a local LDP leader, responded to questions about why nuclear talks were slowed down prior to the election. He spoke of the “large group of swing voters” that the candidates must capture.

The issue of nuclear power will ultimately be the main dividing factor. Ono stated that it is a known fact that nuclear energy has an impact.