President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of April 28 with a Japanese delegation that was in Taiwan to exchange information on nuclear energy. The president extended a cordial welcome to the visitors, and exchanged opinions with them on a broad range of topics related to the nuclear energy policies of the two nations and nuclear power in general.
In remarks, President Ma first noted that the delegation was co-headed by Mr. Akito Arima, an authority in Japan's nuclear physics community who has served as Minister of Education, Minister for Science and Technology, and president of the University of Tokyo. Mr. Arima, the president said, has spared no effort in promoting cultural ties between Taiwan and Japan. Joining Mr. Arima as co-head of the delegation was Member of the House of Representatives Hiroyuki Hosoda, who has served as chief cabinet secretary and is also a former secretary-general of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is now the acting secretary-general of the LDP. He also heads an LDP legislators' group that promotes a stable supply of electric power and is pushing hard for reactivation of Japan's nuclear power plants, President Ma noted. He added that the delegation, which included a number of parliamentarians and renowned scholars and experts, was scheduled to visit Taiwan's nuclear power authority and attend a forum sponsored by Taiwan's Chung-Hwa Nuclear Society that would focus on the reactivation of nuclear power plants in Japan. The president expressed confidence that this forum would further enhance bilateral exchange in the field of nuclear power.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake triggered the Fukushima nuclear accident three years ago, said President Ma, Taiwan announced a new energy policy of "ensuring nuclear safety, gradually reducing reliance on nuclear power, creating a green power and low-carbon environment to gradually become a nuclear-free country." He further noted, however, that this policy is predicated on the three principles of "no power rationing, maintaining reasonable power prices, and making good on our pledges to the international community to reduce carbon emissions." With respect to the future of Taiwan's Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, the president said, the government announced on April 27 that it had decided to halt construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant's No. 1 reactor and mothball it after the completion of safety inspections. In addition, construction of the No. 2 reactor would be suspended, and the government would convene a national energy conference as soon as possible in order to respond to the current situation, propose alternative power solutions, and achieve the objective of conserving power and reducing carbon emissions.
President Ma mentioned that after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, the Japanese government announced a goal of entirely abandoning nuclear power. On April 11 of this year, however, the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe passed the Basic Energy Plan, under which nuclear energy is defined as a critical base-load power source, he said. The plan also calls for reactivation of that nation's nuclear power plants so long as nuclear safety can be assured, he added, noting that Taiwan relies on imports for 98% of its energy needs, and has an independent power grid that makes it impossible to purchase electricity from other countries. He explained that nuclear energy accounts for 18.4% of Taiwan's energy mix. Taiwan and Japan are both located on earthquake belts, he said, adding that Japan, after a historic tsunami triggered a nuclear accident, has even decided to re-start its nuclear plants. Consequently, the president remarked, the government here hopes to understand Japan's experience and use it as reference in handling the nuclear power issue here.
President Ma furthermore explained that the government here has consistently maintained that "there can be no nuclear power unless there is nuclear safety." Besides demanding that nuclear power plants carry out comprehensive safety tests before operation, the government also is continuing to improve the safety of nuclear power on a number of fronts, he said. The president stated that he is confident that this visit to Taiwan by Japan's top nuclear power specialists and by Japanese parliamentarians who have a deep understanding of these topics to share information on nuclear power and discuss their nation's energy policies will help Taiwan in its work to promote nuclear safety.
Mr. Arima delivered remarks, saying that he first visited Taiwan 20 years ago, at which time he served as a science and technology advisor to the Executive Yuan. He commented that technology in Taiwan has made significant strides in recent years, which he was pleased to see. Taiwan and Japan, he noted, are island nations and lack natural resources. As a result, how to resolve energy supply issues is a challenge that both nations face, he said.
Mr. Arima mentioned that while Taiwan and Japan are both making every effort to develop renewable energy sources, it is extremely time-consuming and costly, and thus requires planning with long-term perspectives in mind. Nuclear power, Mr. Arima said, constitutes the crystallization of mankind's intelligence, and experts and scholars the world over have done quite a bit of research in this field, as nuclear power "is a power source of very great potential." Consequently, while the government works to develop renewable energy sources, it must also use nuclear power generation so long as safety can be ensured, he noted, adding that the government will do everything it can to resolve problems associated with nuclear power. Mr. Arima expressed hope that Taiwan and Japan can engage in joint research on nuclear power technology to promote peace and prosperity for mankind.
Mr. Hosoda said he regrets that the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan has caused such uneasiness in Taiwan. He also mentioned that, due to the accident, all of Japan's nuclear power plants have been shut down, but after strict safety inspections authorities are thinking about re-starting the plants. Mr. Hosoda remarked that after the oil crises in the past, Japan embarked on a strategy of developing diverse sources of power, including coal, petroleum, natural gas, and nuclear power. At this point, however, the economy still cannot do without nuclear power, he said, pointing out that this is why he has advocated the re-opening of nuclear power plants so long as strict safety inspections are first carried out. Utilities throughout Japan have filed applications to re-start nuclear power plants, and it is expected that at least one nuclear power plant will resume operation this fall, he added.
In response to a question from President Ma about the reaction to the government's decision to resume use of nuclear power, Mr. Hosoda stated that some people still oppose nuclear power, so there is a need for scholars and experts to further explain the importance of nuclear power to Japan's social development. Average household and industrial power rates in Japan have already been hiked by over 20%, he explained, adding that if the nuclear power issue is not resolved, power prices in Japan will continue to increase, which would impact Japan's international competitiveness and investment from overseas, and could even cost jobs. The government and public must understand these consequences so that all parties can carefully evaluate the situation and make an appropriate decision, he said.
The delegation included House of Representative Members Ryu Shionoya, Akinori Eto, Miki Yamada, Hideo Onishi, Kenichi Hosoda, House of Councillors Member Hirofumi Takinami, and Japan Society of Maintenology President Kenzo Miya.