PRESS CONFERENCE
Junichiro Koizumi, Former Prime Minister of Japan
Naoto Kan, Former Prime Minister of Japan
Yui Kimura, Deputy Secretary of the Federation of Promotion of Zero-Nuclear Power and Renewable Energy (Genjiren)
11:00-12:00 Thursday, January 27, 2022
(The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation)
Denouncing Europe's Plan to Label Nuclear as Sustainable Energy
Former Prime Ministers Junichiro Koizumi and Naoto Kan are two of Japan's leading activists against the use of nuclear power as a form of clean and sustainable energy. The debate over the future of nuclear has taken on a more urgent turn as nations worldwide reconsider their energy mix, with an eye on achieving net-zero carbon emissions within decades amid a global shift away from heavily polluting fossil fuels.
The European Union (EU) now plans to label nuclear as a form of "green" investment, in a move that has not only drawn criticism from the leaders of member states like Germany and Austria, but from around the world, including in Japan. Nowhere is the use of nuclear energy arguably more politically sensitive following the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant accident of 2011. Koizumi, who once supported nuclear, now says that the Fukushima accident offers the world grave lessons that the use of nuclear is not only impractical, but dangerous.
Earlier this month, 261 Japanese citizen groups submitted an open letter to the European Commission to oppose the plan. They wrote that nuclear plants are the antithesis of sustainability given their production of radioactive waste, adding: "If the EU endorses investment in nuclear power, this will not only undermine confidence in the EU taxonomy but also leave a negative legacy for the future of the people in the EU and around the world".
Koizumi and Kan, who have previously jointly addressed the FCCJ about their nuclear concerns, will come to the Club with Yui Kimura, Deputy Secretary of the Federation of Promotion of Zero-Nuclear Power and Renewable Energy (Genjiren), to explain why they oppose the EU's plans to classify nuclear as a form of sustainable energy.
How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel.
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/tp3G23ZeM5xUq7JLA
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form (English only).
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. There will be five positions available for livestreaming.
Professional Activities Committee