Japan’s target of generating 22% of its electricity from nuclear power plants in 2030 is realistic, but new reactors will need to be built if the country is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, a conference in Tokyo heard.

Hidekazu Usui, chairman of a nuclear steering committee at the Japan Electrical Manufacturers’ Association and a director of Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, told the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum’s (JAif) annual conference that assuming all existing nuclear power plants in Japan can operate for 60 years, overall nuclear capacity will drop significantly after 2040.

Mr Usui said the Japanese nuclear industry is facing problems on several fronts, partly as a result of the 2011 Fukushima disaster. These include maintaining the supply chain, with some companies considering withdrawing from the sector, a decline in opportunities to support research and development, and a decreasing number of facilities for research.

He said Japan should promote the development of fast reactors as a way of closing the nuclear fuel cycle.