70 percent want Japan to abolish nuclear power

Some 70 per cent of the public want Japan to eliminate nuclear power generation in the wake of the nation's worst nuclear accident, a survey said Sunday. According to the latest Kyodo News opinion survey, 70.3 per cent said they support Prime Minister Naoto Kan's policy of getting rid of nuclear power.
Japan relies on nuclear power generation to supply about 30 per cent of its electrical power. On the renewable energy bill that aims to set up a mechanism for utilities to buy solar power at fixed tariffs, 78.2 per cent expressed support while 14.2 per cent were against it, the poll showed.
In mid-July, four months after the start of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Kan said the country should phase out nuclear power.
The plant has leaked radioactivity since it was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Workers have been struggling to bring it under control. Japan "should work towards a society that will not depend on nuclear power," Kan said. Before the Fukushima disaster, he had backed continuing to use nuclear power while ensuring safety, he said.