May 10, 2025
To Mr. Shigeru Ishiba
Prime Minister of Japan
Letter of Request
Call for the Repeal of the 7th Basic Energy Plan
We, religious people who wish for peace and tranquility in the world, have been praying for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and for the abolition of nuclear power plants at temples and churches in the Hamadori region of eastern Fukushima Prefecture since 2012. This year, we have also prayed in front of the “Non-Nuclear Fire” memorial at Hokyo-ji Temple in Naraha Town, which connects the nuclear incidents at Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Bikini Atoll, and Fukushima.
In Namie Town, some 10 kms from the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, 98.4% of the town is still in the “difficult-to-return zone”. We also visited the Tsushima area, slightly farther inland, where many residents evacuated after the incident in 2011. It is now designated as a “specific restoration and revitalization zone”, where people are forced to live with an annual radiation dose of up to 20msv that is 20 times higher than the international standard.
While driving on Route 114 from Fukushima City to Tsushima, the sound of the radiation detection instruments in the car was continuous each time we exited a tunnel. In addition, the recent recovery of dissolved fuel debris from the stricken reactors has amounted to only 0.7 grams, and there is no concrete timeline for the recovery of the remaining 880 million grams.
Under these circumstances, the Japanese government’s 7th Basic Energy Plan was approved by the Cabinet on February 18. While previous plans had indicated a reduction in dependence on nuclear power, the 7th plan clearly states that renewable energy and nuclear power are to be used equally and that nuclear power should be utilized to the maximum extent possible, including the construction of new nuclear power plants. It seems that the government is trying to create a new “myth” (along with the old ones of “safety” and “necessity”) arund fusion energy. This includes the promotion of plu-thermal power generation, which is practically bankrupt, and nuclear fusion power generation, which is facing difficulties in realization. This is a sinister scheme that will taunt the victims of the nuclear accident and those who have been forced to evacuate their homes and plunge them into despair.
The “decarbonization” label is actually a sign of increased dependence on nuclear power plants. “S+3e” is a slogan developed by the Japanese power industry, which means Safety plus Economic efficiency, Environmental compatibility, and Energy security for a stable energy supply. If nuclear power plants are an important part of this plan, then it would be optimal to install them in urban areas, which are the largest consumers of electricity. Yet, not a single nuclear power plant has been built or is planned for an urban area.
What Japan must do now is to awaken from its possession by “faith in nuclear energy” and achieve zero nuclear power plants by 2030. We call for the repeal of the 7th Basic Energy Plan in order to rethink the fundamentals of our way of life and energy.
Japan Religious Peace Council
3-37-13-502 Yushima
Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
JNEB 