By Sakura Murakami

KASHIWAZAKI (Japan) -Prime minister Fumio Kishida is facing stiff resistance ahead of a general elections on Sunday. His future as leader could be in jeopardy if the votes are close.

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.

It is most important in small rural towns that house idle plants. Kashiwazaki, located 265 km (165 mi) northwest from Tokyo, hosts the world’s biggest atomic power facility.

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.”

Most voters care about the economic recovery after the pandemic. Last month’s election saw energy policy come to the forefront when Kishida defeated an anti-nuclear candidate for chief of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Akira Amari (party veteran) was the architect of Kishida’s win. She immediately assumed key post in the party and pushed for 30 reactor restarts.

Amari states that Japan must return to nuclear power in order to fulfill its 2050 pledge to reduce carbon emissions, to avoid rising import prices for coal and natural gas, and to lessen its dependence on other nations for its energy requirements.

Amari is in a close race for his district. He struggles to get support from Komeito, an anti-nuclear junior alliance partner.

Kashiwazaki, too, is opposed to his plan.

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

Ono mentioned local distrust due to what he described as multiple mishaps at the plant’s operator Tokyo Electric Power Holdingss (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 for 24 million homes.

Nationwide, 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. The company stated that nuclear energy was crucial in reaching carbon neutrality but it wasn’t the right time to start discussing restarts.

This is a problem for LDP. Polls indicate that it may lose its simple majority. However, this outcome would allow it to hold power through the alliance with Komeito. But that could lead to internal pressure to expel 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.

The ‘DIVIDING FACTOR’

Kashiwazaki is a small town of around 80,000 people, located on the shores of the Sea of Japan. 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 the surrounding region. Ono of the LDP said that many people feel strongly about this. According to him, there’s a divide between Tokyoites’ sentiments and Tokyoites’.

Tepco is in dire need of a restart, as it needs funds to clean up its Fukushima nuclear plant. According to the company, restarting KashiwazakiKariwa’s reactors would reduce fuel consumption by $880million 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.

These fears were dispelled by Kenichi Hosoda (the LDP candidate for the district) who is the Vice Minister at the Ministry of Industry responsible for energy policy and has toned his pro-nuclear rhetoric.

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 “a large number of swing voters whom the candidates must capture.”

When it all comes down to it the nuclear issue will be the major dividing point. Ono stated that it is a known fact that nuclear energy has an impact.