"Japan needs to review its energy policy while seeking safer ways to secure nuclear power," Kan told a gathering of reporters on Tuesday.
"Japan will maintain nuclear power and fossil fuels as energy sources, but the government will promote renewable energy and create a more energy-efficient society. They are the two new pillars to our energy policy, he said.
Kan also announced the country would rethink its goal to have nuclear power account for 50 percent of the country's total electricity output, and renewables for just 20 percent, by 2030.
The basic plan needs to be reviewed “from scratch after this big incident,” he said.
A magnitude 9.0-quake and tsunami on March 11 crippled the plant located 230 kilometres north of Tokyo, causing partial reactor meltdowns, explosions and radiation leaks, and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands from their homes.
Kan's statements came one day after Chubu Electric Power Co. agreed to suspend operations of its aging Hamaoka nuclear power plant, until appropriate safety measures against major quakes and tsunamis are taken. According to published reports, the Hamaoka facility was built directly atop a fault line.
For additional information:
