Japan to phase out nuclear power by 2030s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's unpopular government, which could face an election this year, had faced intense lobbying from industries to maintain atomic energy and also concerns from its major ally, the United States, which supplied it with nuclear technology in the 1950s. "This is a strategy to create a new future," a policy statement said, after key ministers finalised the decision on Friday. It is not pie in the sky. It is a practical strategy. All but two of Japan's nuclear 50 reactors are idled for safety checks and the government plans to allow restarts of units taken offline after the disaster if they are deemed safe by a new atomic regulator. Japan's growing anti-nuclear movement, which wants an immediate end to the use of atomic power, is certain to oppose any such proposal to secure electricity supplies by restarting reactors. By applying a strict 40-year limit on the lifetime of reactors, most will be shut down by the 2030s. Source: Agencies