Japan's power saving efforts reported to be on hold

According to a recent survey, TOKYO Kyodo Sixty seven percent of people aged between 17 and 19 in Japan make power saving efforts on a daily basis, apparently driven by Russia's war in Ukraine.

The government asked businesses and households to reduce electricity consumption from July to September to avoid a power crunch, and that they had reviewed their air conditioning and lighting usage, according to the Nippon Foundation survey.

In the survey, 54.4 percent of respondents said they were very interested in Japan's energy policy, while 69.7 percent were aware of the country's low energy independence.

The government and some electricity suppliers offer a point system to reward households that implement energy-saving measures, but only 17.3 percent said they understood how the system works.

Since the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered a suspension of many reactors, the country's electricity supply and demand balance has been tight.

The suspension of operations at several thermal plants earlier this year due to technical problems and fuel procurement difficulties due to the Ukraine crisis has caused public concern about a power crunch.

According to the survey, 43.6 percent of respondents supported the government's plan to increase nuclear energy utilization to 20 to 22 percent of the country's power mix by 2030, while 17.6 percent said they wanted a higher proportion.

Regarding efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 55.8 percent said renewable energy sources to power public transport were the most promising, followed by environmentally friendly city development at 55.1 percent and forest management and urban greening at 55.0 percent.

The online survey covering 1,000 people aged 17 to 19 in Japan from July 29 to Aug. 2 was conducted by the Tokyo-based foundation.