Nuclear power in Japan Prior to the earthquake and tsunami of
March 2011, and the nuclear disasters that resulted from it,
Japan generated 30% of its electrical power from nuclear
reactors and planned to increase that share to 40%. Nuclear
energy was a national strategic priority in Japan, but there had
been concern about the ability of Japan's nuclear plants to
withstand seismic activity. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power
Plant was completely shut down for 21 months following an
earthquake in 2007. The 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused the
failure of cooling systems at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power
Plant on March 11 and a nuclear emergency was declared. This was
the first time a nuclear emergency had been declared in Japan,
and 140,000 residents within 20 km of the plant were evacuated.
The total amount of radioactive material released is unclear, as
the crisis is ongoing. On 6 May 2011, Prime Minister Naoto Kan
ordered the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant be shut down as an
earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or hig