Japanese proposal would end nuke power

A group of Japanese lawmakers has drafted a proposal that would make the nation nuclear-free by the middle of the century. The plan, by Democratic Party of Japan members on an energy and environment research committee, also calls on the government to determine over the next three years how the economy and people's lives would be affected by the end of nuclear power, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. The report is seen as a compromise response to the diverse opinions about Japan's use of nuclear power following last year's earthquake and tsunami that destroyed a nuclear facility and spread radiation throughout the surrounding area. "With an aim of realizing a nuclear-free society, we will create a society that depends on new energy sources grounded in people's understanding and cooperation," the report said. The draft put forth three principles necessary to reach a non-nuclear society: imposing a strict 40-year life on nuclear reactors; restarting only reactors whose safety has been certified by a soon-to-be-created agency, and a ban on further construction of nuclear facilities and reactors. No more nuclear reactors would be operating in Japan by the 2050s if the proposal is implemented.