The government approved on February 18 a new Strategic Energy Plan in which it calls for maximizing the utilization of nuclear power plants.

The policy spells out Japan's energy strategies toward 2040.

The government scrapped the aim of minimizing reliance on nuclear power, a call that had been included in all versions of the energy plan since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

The new policy clearly signals Japan's return to nuclear power by including plans to ease conditions for reconstruction and advance development of next-generation nuclear reactors.

Officials said more than 40,000 public comments, a record high, were submitted for the new energy plan, with many of them expressing opposition to nuclear power.

Energy, Trade and Industry Minister Muto Yoji said the government will carefully explain why nuclear power is necessary.

For the first time, the energy plan positions renewable energy such as solar and wind power as primary energy sources as the country braces for possible increases in electricity demand due to the spread of technologies like generative AI.