DOI: 10.33917/es-1.193.2024.18-25

Article explains current status of the Japanese nuclear industry as for mid 2023. It unveils political and economic factors and directions of its renaissance 12 year after the Fukushima Dai-Ichi NPP disaster in 2011. The contradiction of this process and the declared by the Japanese government Green Transformation (GX) initiative is underlined. Article lists limits of political, economic, technological and social nature which will define the actual success of the proposed nuclear program. Creation of the industrial and technological as well as political and social base of the fusion energy and fusion manufacturing industries is considered as the strategic reason for pushing the nuclear renaissance through these limits, as the way to the global leadership and domination of the Japanese ‘Society 5.0’. Special attention is paid to the strong will of the Japanese government to pragmatically sacrifices democratic values, concentrate all available resources, and set ambitious targets to win in this sumo fight and be first to build ‘thermonuclear Japan’. Also the specific side of the nuclear energy development — building up the Japanese nuclear weapon potential — is considered as the way to mitigate both geo- and technopolitical risks.

References:

1. G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué [Website]. 2023, May, 20, available at: https://www.g7hiroshima.go.jp/documents/pdf/Leaders_Communique_01_en.pdf

2. Japan takes the lead in collaboration on the global energy transition. (Paid for and created by Government of Japan). Reuters Plus, available at: https://www.reuters.com/plus/japan-takes-the-lead-in-collaboration-on-the-global-energy-transition

3. Сarbon neutrality. Global Issues. Government of Japan [Website], available at: https://www.japan.go.jp/global_issues/carbon_neutrality/index.html

4. Overview of the Japanese Green Transformation (GX). GR Japan [Website]. 2023, January, available at: https://grjapan.com/sites/default/files/content/

articles/files/gr_japan_overview_of_gx_plans_january_2023.pdf

5. Towards Green Transformation (GX). Main points. (Provisional translation). Keidanren [Website]. 2022, May, 17, available at: https://www.keidanren.or.jp/en/policy/2022/043_point.pdf

6. Kishida eyes nuclear plant restart in green transformation push. The Japan Times, 2022, July, 28, available at: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/07/28/business/koichi-hagiuda-green-minister-post/

7. Innovatsionnaya strategiya termoyadernoy energetiki [Innovative strategy for fusion energy]. Kabinet ministrov Yaponii, 2023, 14 aprelya, available at:

https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/fusion/fusion_senryaku.pdf

8. Integrated Innovation Strategy. Cabinet of Japan, 2022. June, 3, available at: https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/english/strategy_2022.pdf

9. Outline of Strategic Energy Plan. Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of Japan, 2021, October, available at: https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/others/basic_plan/pdf/6th_outline.pdf

DOI: 10.33917/es-5.191.2023.78-93

Analysis of the essence, content and forms of the scenario state of Japan in 2040, reflected in the 11th Scientific and Technical Forecast of NISTEP in 2019, revealed a number of conceptual dialectical contradictions. They narrow down to the question of admissibility and expediency of changing a man’s nature in order to ensure his prosperous, safe, meaningful and happy existence. The author proposes for discussion a conclusion on inevitability of the transhumanization of a mankind on the scale of a single country (Japan) and the whole world, given the nature of the great challenges facing it. The possibility of keeping the historical development in a conditionally humanistic direction is noted, given the emphasis of social reforms in Japan, reflected in the 6th Basic Plan for scientific, technical and innovative development of the country, on building a society for the fullest realization and use of human intellectual potential.

References:

1. The 10th Science and Technology Foresight Scenario Planning from the Viewpoint of Globalization. Summary Report. Science and Technology Foresight Center, National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). September, 2015, available at: https://nistep.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/4491

2. Report on the 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan. Council on Science, Technology and Innovation. Cabinet office, Government of Japan, 2015, December 18, available at: https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/kihonkeikaku/5basicplan_en.pdf

3. Toward Realization of the New Economy and Society — Reform of the Economy and Society by Deepening of the “Society 5.0” — Outline. Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), 2016, April 19, available at: https://www.keidanren.or.jp/en/policy/2016/029_outline.pdf

4. Mamed’yarov Z.A. Doroga k “Obshchestvu 5.0” [The Road to Society 5.0]. Ekspert, 2018, no 44, available at: https://expert.ru/expert/2018/44/dorogak-

obschestvu-5_0/?ysclid=llm6l4drah852037971

5. Uemura N.M. “Obshchestvo 5.0” — vzglyad Mitsubishi Electric [Society 5.0: the View of Mitsubishi Electric]. Ekonomicheskie strategii, 2017, no 4, pp.

122–131, available at: https://www.inesnet.ru/wp-content/mag_archive/2017_04/es2017-04-122-131_Uemura_Noritsugu.pdf

6. Mitsubishi Electric predstavila platformu e-F@ctory rossiiskim kompaniyam [Mitsubishi Electric Presented the e-F@ctory Platform to Russian Companies]. OOO “Mitsubisi Elektrik (RUS)”, 2017, 20 iyulya, available at: https://ru.mitsubishielectric.com/ru/news/releases/local/2017/0720-a/pdf/170720-a_local_ru_ru.pdf

7. Overview of Japan’s Green Transformation (GX). GR Japan, 2023, January, available at: https://grjapan.com/sites/default/files/content/articles/files/

8. Green Transformation (GX). Main points. Tentative translation. Keidanren, 2022, May 17, available at: https://www.keidanren.or.jp/en/policy/2022/043_point.pdf

9. Kostyukova K.S. “Zelenaya” transformatsiya Yaponii i nekotorye kontury novoi energeticheskoi politiki strany [Elektronnyi resurs]. π-Economy, 2022, vol. 15, no 6, pp. 54–70, DOI: https://doi.org/10.18721/JE.15604

DOI: 10.33917/mic-3.104.2022.28-37

In 2021, the cost of building solar panels has risen in price by 50%, and wind power plants (WPP) by 13%. Many experts write about their further significant growth. This is also noted in The Global Risks Report 2022 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in 2022. Thus, the price of polysilicon over the past year has increased by about 3 times, the price of hot-rolled steel has doubled. Steel production is a process with a high share of CO2 emissions. The era of relatively inexpensive renewable energy is over.

In the coming years, the failure of the climate action of the «green transformation», the growth of fuel consumption, energy and economic crises are coming.