New Energy
Japan’s New Leader to Make Nuclear Center of Energy Strategy
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in July 2025.
Photographer: Kyodo News/Getty Images
The woman expected to be Japan’s next prime minister is set to keep nuclear power at the core of the nation’s energy strategy, while reducing emphasis on readily available renewables like solar.
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of Japan’s ruling party, has pushed to accelerate the development of advanced nuclear technologies, like fusion, and has previously called for making the country 100% energy self-sufficient by deploying next-generation reactors.