On Aug. 26, 2011, the same day that Prime Minister Naoto Kan resigned after widespread criticism of his handling of the meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, the Diet passed legislation that created a new feed-in tariff system for renewable energy.
It was a major victory for renewable advocates, who had spent more than a decade pushing for a feed-in tariff system that would kick-start the country's power revolution. However, the system was only approved after weeks of political wrangling between Kan, who wanted it, and the pro-nuclear power village comprised of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry bureaucrats, business lobbies such as Keidanren, local and national politicians in the Liberal Democratic Party — who were (and remain) in the pockets of the nuclear industry — and the utilities themselves.
The feed-in tariff system went into effect in July 2012 amid much expectation of new energy revolution. Two years later, though, it might be more accurate to say "evolution" than "revolution."
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