ABSTRACT
In the past, Japan’s major political parties either accepted nuclear power or actively promoted its use. However, after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, most of them promoted ending the country’s reliance on nuclear power. To do so, Japan must find a way to rely on alternative sources of energy while also taking into account the need to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, and to consider the economic and employment impact on regions hosting nuclear power plants. This chapter considers these issues’ complex interrelationships from a “meta-political justice” perspective. It examines the positions of the five major political parties, asking how comprehensive and consistent these policies have been. The analysis focuses on party manifestos issued before the four general elections since 2011 through text and frame analysis, showing how these parties have shifted from emphasizing nuclear energy policy to focusing on combating climate change. While they have continued to call for an “end to reliance on nuclear power,” their stance on this issue has gradually become a formality, as they have adopted increasingly vague language with respect to the policies and provisions required to reach such a goal.
