Petition For A Referendum On The Use Of Nuclear Power in Osaka

A petition to get a referendum on the use of nuclear power in Kansai got 50,000 signatures in Osaka. Although a similar petition against Kobe airport was ignored by the city, this could be a first step towards a Kansai nuclear-free region. The future of civil nuclear power in Japan is however strongly dependent on US imposed export restrictions upon Iran. Currently, Japan imports extra crude oil to produce electricity, since most of its nuclear power plants are off-line, and has opposed the US sanctions. As for everything related to defense, and the question of civil nuclear power is directly linked to the ability of Japan to rapidly build ICBM in case of a serious conflict with China, Japan will likely give way. In fact, it is now preparing for alternative supply sources and asked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to help it make up any shortfall (read articles below).