Chiyo Sadatomo, 40s
Housewife
Abandoning nuclear energy is out of the question right now. We get something like 25% of our power from nuclear energy. We should scale down and find alternatives like wind or wave energy. We need also need to invest in better safeguards and maintenance of our current plants.
Derrick Tran, 33 (Australian)
Life Coach
What's the alternative? Scaling down is feasible only with viable alternatives. Whatever happens it will be a difficult choice to make.
Eiko Ito, 50s
Shop owner
I think we don't know enough about the cons of nuclear power plants. For example, the cleanup from the current crisis will take too long and cost too many lives and resources. But Japan does not have any energy sources like coal or oil. So even though nuclear power has lots of minuses we have no choice until we can find better energy sources.
Peter Goldsbury, 66 (English)
Retired professor
Japan has no natural resources to mention if you exclude hydro-electric sources. I have not seen much in the way of wind and solar production like in Europe. Given the lack of resources, Japan needs a more vigorous investment in safeguards — as well as a more transparent and accountable management and response infrastructure.
Carolin Funk
German associate professor
Yes! Nuclear energy is a very concentrated form of energy production and therefore vulnerable to disasters. Japan has the technological potential and natural resources to become a world leader in renewable energy like solar, wind, geothermal or water so they should opt for the future, and not for the past!
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