japan approves energy plan reinstating nuclear, page-9

After going through some revisions in the draft, the government decided to define nuclear power as an "important base-load power source" that is cheap in terms of operation costs and can stably generate electricity continuously through the day.

As for the policy direction over the next 20 years or so, the government said it will "proceed with the reactivation of nuclear power plants" that have satisfied what the government calls the world's toughest regulatory standards, and at the same time pledged to "reduce nuclear dependence as much as possible."

It also left open the possibility of allowing the construction of new reactors, saying in the plan that the government will "assess the amount of nuclear power that should be secured" to ensure a stable energy supply in a resource-scarce country.