ニュース 2015/07/31 DPJ submits two energy-related bills to the lower house DPJ submits two energy-related bills to the lower house (July 31, 2015) On July 31, the DPJ submitted a Bill for Promotion of Decentralized Energy Use [tentative translation], as well as a bill proposing revisions to the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness to the House of Representatives. The Bill for Promotion of Decentralized Energy Use applies lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. It aims to reduce the nation’s reliance on nuclear power to the lowest possible level, and to shift from a system in which energy supply is focused on a few large-scale facilities, to one which effectively and efficiently uses local energy sources and promotes decentralized energy and the consumption of energy in the region where it is produced. Through this, the legislation will aim to create autonomous and richly individual local communities by creating job opportunities and stimulating local economies. Central government will draw up a Basic Policy for the Promotion of Decentralized Energy Use (tentative), local authorities will draw up their own plans for the promotion of decentralized energy use based on this Basic Policy, and the provision of subsidies from central to local governments will enable local authorities to independently promote the use of decentralized energy. The bill proposing revisions to the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness recognizes the need to ensure that evacuation plans in the event of a significant nuclear accident occurring are both safe and reliable. To achieve this, the revision clarifies the responsibility of central government for such evacuation plans by stipulating that central and local governments will work together to produce a plan, and by having central government give their approval for the plan. People around Japan still have concerns about the restarting of power stations in their locality. The reason for this is that, despite the fact that the biggest lesson learnt from the accident at Fukushima No.1 was that the safe and reliable evacuation of local residents is key, evacuation plans have still continued to be left totally to the initiative of local authorities, and the reality is that no one has checked to see whether evacuation can actually be carried out as stated.