Japan’s ‘Unresolved’ Disaster Sways Former Advocate of Nuclear Power
- Niigata governor witholding support for world’s biggest plant
- Tepco sees restart as way to help pay Fukushima clean-up costs
Ryuichi Yoneyama. Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg
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The man blocking the world’s largest nuclear plant says he grew opposed to atomic energy the same way some people fall in love.
Previously an advocate for nuclear power in Japan, Ryuichi Yoneyama campaigned against the restart of the facility as part of his successful gubernatorial race last year in Niigata. He attributes his political U-turn to the “unresolved” 2011 Fukushima Dai-Ichi disaster and the lack of preparedness at the larger facility in his own prefecture, both owned by Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings Inc.