Japan’s PM Fumio Kushida has directed his government to look into restarting the country’s suspended nuclear power plants and building new reactors. Speaking at a conference on Japan’s efforts to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Kushida proposed that “next-generation nuclear reactors equipped with new safety mechanisms” could be used to achieve that goal and extend the lifespan of existing reactors. If such a plan were to go ahead, it would mark a significant shift in Japan’s energy policy after it suspended most of its nuclear plants following the triple meltdown at the Fukushima power plant caused by an earthquake-tsunami double whammy in 2011. Negative public sentiment since then has seen Japan’s dependence on nuclear power reduced, but recent pressure on the country’s power grid due to soaring costs for imported coal and gas in the wake of the Ukraine war has cast a new light on nuclear energy.