70% support Kan's policy to make Japan nuclear-free: poll

66.9% think the unpopular prime minister should leave office by the end of August.

I do not believe this poll. The guy is doing a great job.

another questionable poll.

What was the sample size? How old were the respondents? Or How were the respondents contacted? Land line, keitai or Internet? When did the poll take place?

I get the feeling that this is the Asahi newspaper base and not a wider population sample.

Japanese complain about not being informed, but then accept being snowballed by their "media".

I agree with you ihavegreatlengs. I also think japan should stop changing PM like changing cloths. let them fulfill the 4 yrs duty period and hv faith in the vote you have decided during election.

Japan is surrounded by water. Water below the surface is cooler than the hotter air of summer. So, put tubes under the water, and pump the cooler water in a closed loop. The surface end of the loop would be a heat exchanger to become an air conditioner to cool entire cities. It would then just be a question of what energy source to use to pump the water. However, it saves a lot of electricity from cooling the air compared to other cooling systems.

Toronto Deep Lake Water Cooling, saves about 600MW for air conditioning in the downtown core. It's a freshwater system so there is some addition to the water supply, however the general cooling system principles can be used in a salt water system.

Most of Japan's largest cities are on the waterfront. There are opportunities to increase efficiencies of energy by using a multitude of systems and reduce reliance on nuclear power. But, you have to try first and not just stare at your feet or blame someone else.

Kan is right to try. Now others have to step up and provide the ideas

Would be nice if it could be that way sveinnyves. But nothing here changes, even after a nuclear catastrophe.

Spinning doors got removed though after one child was killed a few years back.

I think 5 years at one term would be best with no chance to run again. I think America should change that too.

I also think that since good workers are forced to retire at age 60, only to be hired back until 65 at a much lesser salary and benefits, that the PM and all the other like Ozawa should have to follow the same rules.

Kan got my vote if I am allowed.

Earthquake.Tsunami and Nuke just do not mix well and it is a killer cocktail.

If Kan had half a brain and even one, ah, shall we say cjne, he'd hold an election and say if you want to phase out nuclear power, vote for my party. If not, vote for the other blokes. Force the LDP to make no nukes part of it's platform too or beat the daylights out of it.

Unfortunately, the rest 30% hold all the money and the power.

sf2k - Add to that more sensible legislation requiring insulation in businesses and houses and I can see at least a 5% cut in energy use.

News agency showed 70.3% support Kan’s policy of ending nuclear power while 66.9% think the unpopular prime minister should leave office by the end of August.

Could it be that the poll set the agenda by saying "Do you think Kan should leave by the end of August?" surprise surprise if most say yes.

Kan’s skepticism about boosting nuclear power in the quake-prone island nation has also set him on a collision course with pro-nuclear lawmakers, both in the conservative opposition and within his own party.

There you have it.　Kan is unpopular with the nuclear power industry. The LDP is the mouthpiece of said industry that got us into this mess in the first place, creating a status quo riddled with corruption, cover-ups and total disregard for public safety, something the industry continues to do even as Fukushima spews radiation out into the soil, water and air. The LDP is responsible for whatever skullduggery and manoevres are necessary to remove a prime minister who is trying to change this dangerous status quo. The nuclear industry has also bought many lawmakers who are now in the DPJ, and other parties. They are working together in a grand coalition to try and get Kan out. Considering the forces ranged against him, every day goes by, I admire Kan more.

Every time I hear them talking about a lame duck Prime Minister, my toes curl. It's not the Prime Minister that's a lame duck, the political system in this country is totally dysfunctional, and the 'lame duck' is the electorate who bottle up their anger instead of rising up and demanding change.

If such a majority agree to stop, why are they building poxy seawalls around them?

Adding to what I posted above, just seen an interesting analysis in an article "Powering Japan's future -The pros and cons of Japan's renewable energy options" that puts this "poll" on Kan's supposed popularity in context. It describes the entrenched opposition by the nuclear village to the development of renewables, and the separation of generation from distribution that Kan is calling for. It goes on to say that proposed legislation to encourage renewables

"faces opposition from politicians and industries concerned that the price of electricity will rise — and from those in the "nuclear village" who say nuclear reactors are cheap, clean, and reliable power sources. Many of those opponents, however, stand to lose influence and income if the market shifts toward renewables.

"They really are desperate to preserve their monopoly (on political power), no matter what the cost," said Rikkyo University political economist Andrew DeWit, who has written extensively about Japan's energy policy.

Kan is really seen as the face of the first serious threat to this monopoly in decades .

(Sorry - problems with the quote function so I'm reposting.) Adding to what I posted above, just seen an interesting analysis in an article "Powering Japan's future -The pros and cons of Japan's renewable energy options" that puts this "poll" on Kan's supposed popularity in context. It describes the entrenched opposition by the nuclear village to the development of renewables, and the separation of generation from distribution that Kan is calling for. It goes on to say that proposed legislation to encourage renewables

"faces opposition from politicians and industries concerned that the price of electricity will rise — and from those in the "nuclear village" who say nuclear reactors are cheap, clean, and reliable power sources. Many of those opponents, however, stand to lose influence and income if the market shifts toward renewables.

"They really are desperate to preserve their monopoly (on political power), no matter what the cost," said Rikkyo University political economist Andrew DeWit, who has written extensively about Japan's energy policy.

Kan is really seen as the face of the first serious threat to this monopoly in decades .

Why would anyone want to get rid of a guy who is listening to the people and planning to free Japan from the most dangerous form of energy this planet has ever put into comercial enterprise? I

Interesting statistics. Basically if LPD, Komeito and Hatoyama/Ozawa weren't bleating about getting him to resign everyday, the average Tarou wouldn't have thought about it. Politicians, listen to the 70%, and instead of playing games, do your jobs!

It's a right direction for the country to be nuclear free but the people are skeptical of Kan's rather instant friendship with Softbank's Son who is good at benefiting at someone else's expense acting as a tool by foreign capital and now may be aiming to acquire or use for free the power lines after power generation is separated from power transmission.

It's a right direction for the country to be nuclear free but the people are skeptical of Kan's rather instant friendship with Softbank's Son who is good at benefiting at someone else's expense acting as a tool by foreign capital and now may be aiming to acquire or use for free the power lines after power generation is separated from power transmission.

I have been mentioning that quite often here but it seems that most of the gaijin experts here cannot understand real Japanese news and just exist sucking up the partisan soundbites posted here.

So 30% want Japan to continue nuclear power generation. Interesting.

I have been mentioning that quite often here but it seems that most of the gaijin experts here cannot understand real Japanese news and just exist sucking up the partisan soundbites posted here.

I agree, the real news is masked by all the other crap in the media. Kan is suspicious, as is Softbank's son, and they are mere puppets of a deeper, darker organization than anyone realizes. The scheming is elaborate and timely, and is fueled by resentment toward the Japanese. Kan is no fool either, he's practiced his poker face.

Everytime I mention Kan and Softbank are going to make a lot of money I get a lot of down thumbs.

Kan=Kika might have something to dowith it also.

I like SF2K's ideas about deep atwer cooling; I'd never heard of it before! Very informative.

On the nuclear issue, I'm concerned that so many people are conflating the safety-standards-flouting mismanagement of nuclear power by TEPCO with nuclear power itself -- the former is a disgrace but the latter is, given competent management, one of the safest and least polluting forms of power generation in existence today. The world's supply of oil is in irreversible decline; no one wants to go back to the choking black smoke of coal; solar power isn't cheap enough yet. Nuclear power can keep the world running while technology improves to the point where even cleaner forms of power generation can take over.

So the other 30% are greedy!!! Evil!!!