FROM THE EDITOR

摘要

Three and a half years have already passed after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant meltdown in March 2011 but opposition to restarting the nuclear reactors remain strong. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plans to quickly restart the country's atomic energy program faces resistance while policies on the increasing role of renewable energy are very much applauded. This issue of Asian Power looks into the country's initiatives to secure its energy supply and diversify its energy sources. In particular, the team has gathered experts' thoughts on the future of the solar power sector, amidst recent moves by the government to cut tariffs for solar power projects by a fifth in two years and impose time limits on installations. Energy experts are positive that Japan could surpass Germany as the world's biggest consumer of solar power but our channel checks found that only 10% of approved solar projects have started operations so far due to tightened rules.