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New PM Ishiba waters down tone against nuclear power in

Japan

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Japan to continue with nuclear power plant restarts, new

METI

minister Muto says

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Japan to use renewable energy to its maximum, METI

minister says

By Katya Golubkova

TOKYO, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Japan plans to continue safely

restarting nuclear power plants and will use as much renewable

energy as possible, Industry Minister Yoji Muto said on

Wednesday, indicating no major shift in policy under newly

appointed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Before he won the leadership race of the ruling Liberal

Democratic Party, Ishiba, who was sworn in on Tuesday, had

pledged to do his utmost to cut out nuclear power.

He was the only candidate to oppose nuclear power usage in

Japan, which relies on fossil fuel imports for two thirds of its

electricity.

But shortly before becoming party leader, and by default

prime minister, Ishiba stopped advocating for zero nuclear

power, instead calling for the use of more renewable energy,

including hydropower, and for more energy conservation.

"We can use renewable power to the maximum, and we will

restart nuclear power, the safe one, as much as possible," Muto

told reporters at his first media event as the minister for

economy, trade and industry (METI).

As demand for electricity is projected to grow as more data

centres and semiconductor factories are set up, Muto said

securing energy will be "the most important part of Japan's

growth".

Renewable energy, driven by solar, wind and hydropower,

accounted for more than a quarter of Japan's power generation

mix last year, with coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) making

the bulk of up the rest, according to consultants WoodMackenzie.

Nuclear power accounted for 9% of the total. Japan shut down

all its nuclear reactors after a powerful 2011 earthquake and

tsunami triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant,

creating the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Japan now runs eleven nuclear power reactors, or a fifth of

what it had before the meltdown, providing it with nearly 11

gigawatt of electricity. Reactor restarts contributed to an 8%

fall in LNG imports last year to their lowest in 14 years.

However, imports of LNG and coal used in thermal power

plants cost 12.4 trillion yen ($86 billion) last year alone,

accounting for 11% of its total import bill and adding to living

costs, an issue Ishiba must deal as prime minister.

Tokyo Electric Power Co ( TKECF ) is looking to

restart its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world's

biggest, but lacks approval from the eastern Niigata prefecture

whose governor is pushing for more safety assurances.

Muto said TEPCO ( TKECF ) had yet to address all the community safety

concerns, but added that it was important to restart nuclear

plants to balance supply, manage power prices and decarbonise.

Mika Ohbayashi, director with Renewable Energy Institute in

Tokyo, said that the upcoming House of Representatives election

on Oct. 27 and the dynamics within the ruling LDP party will

determinate the future of discussions about the nuclear energy.

"In terms of energy supply, it (nuclear power) can be

reduced to zero," Ohbayashi said, referring to the period more

than a year after the Fukushima disaster when Japan stopped all

its 54 reactors.

($1 = 143.5600 yen)