Japan Nuclear Power Usage A Necessity Based On Energy Costs

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TOKYO — Japan once again has become without atomic energy as its only operating nuclear reactor went offline Sunday for refueling and maintenance, and other plants remain closed for intensified safety checks following the 2011 meltdowns at the tsunami-stricken plant in Fukushima.

But despite signs that the Fukushima crisis is worsening, Japan’s commitment to restarting many of its 50 idled reactors appears stronger than ever, a year after a previous government said it would begin to phase out nuclear power completely.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in December, says nuclear power remains essential, even with a surge in generation capacity from solar, wind and other renewable sources, and that the world’s No. 3 economy cannot afford the mounting costs from importing gas and oil.

Four nuclear plant operators have applied to restart a dozen reactors under revised safety guidelines, though the pace will be relatively slow, with the first expected to come online early next year at the earliest. Inspections take about six months for each reactor, and obtaining consent from local governments may also take time.

Only two reactors had been operating in Japan since July 2012, both at Ohi in the western prefecture of Fukui. The No. 3 reactor was shut down for maintenance on Sept. 2, and the No. 4 reactor was taken offline late Sunday night and came to a full stop in the early hours of Monday, according to their operator, Kansai Electric Power Co.. They are among the dozen that have applied to restart.

The disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, the worst atomic accident since the 1986 Chernobyl explosion, prompted a rethink of plans to raise nuclear capacity from one-third to over half of total demand.

Even with little to no nuclear power, Japan has managed to avoid power rationing and blackouts. Industries have moved aggressively to avoid disruptions by installing backup generators and shifting to new sources, such as solar power.

Recent disclosures that the Fukushima plant is still leaking radiation and struggling to handle contaminated water used to cool its reactors have raised alarms over whether the situation is as fully under control as Abe says.

Still, the government appears certain to scuttle the commitment to end the use of nuclear power gradually that was made a year ago under a different administration.

While surveys indicate the public remains opposed to nuclear power, the demonstrations by hundreds of thousands after the Fukushima disaster have diminished, perhaps sapped by the pain to the pocketbooks of Tokyo households now paying 30 percent more for electricity than before, with more rate hikes to come.

The issue is cost, and to a lesser extent, concern over a resurgence in climate-changing carbon emissions due to increased use of coal and oil to generate power. Clean energy still accounts for only 10 percent of total consumption – most of it hydropower. Much of the new capacity approved has yet to come online.

Reliance on imported oil and gas has surged from about 60 percent of energy consumption to about 85 percent.

Japan posted a trade deficit in 2011 for the first time in 31 years, and another deficit of 8.2 trillion yen ($82.4 billion) in 2012. About half of the increase stemmed from rising fuel costs, according to the trade minister, Toshimitsu Motegi. The recent weakening of the Japanese yen has added to the burden on the economy from oil and gas imports.

Abe and others in favor of resuming nuclear power contend that renewable energy is too expensive and unreliable – wind doesn’t always blow, the sun doesn’t always shine.

Apart from those issues, national security requires that Japan retain some self-sufficiency, and the only way to do that is by relying at least in the near term on nuclear energy, said Masamichi Adachi, an economist at JPMorgan in Tokyo. While Japan’s suppliers of uranium tend to be stable industrial nations, most of its oil comes from the volatile Middle East.

But the reasons for keeping the nuclear industry afloat extend beyond the imperatives of trade balances and balance sheets.

Having invested billions of dollars (trillions of yen) in nuclear plants and technology it is counting on selling to a burgeoning global industry, many of Japan’s business and political leaders appear reluctant to give it up. Local communities are divided: many have relied heavily on nuclear plants for jobs and tax revenues, but worry over potential risks.

Still, Abe has pledged to pursue renewable energy and backed reforms that would separate power generation and distribution, aimed at getting utilities to retool their electricity grids so they can absorb solar and wind power generated by households, companies and other independent sources.

Other initiatives include improving the efficiency of thermal power plants, installing computerized “smart meters,” using more energy-efficient construction materials and design and expanding the use of energy-efficient LED lighting.

Over a year ago, the government set a new, higher feed-in tariff for renewable energy, and companies are investing heavily in wind and solar power, transforming defunct golf courses into solar farms and building offshore wind turbines.

Such companies include phone carrier Softbank, trading houses Mitsui Co. and Marubeni Corp., Toyota Motor Corp.’s Toyota Turbine and Systems Inc. and Oji Paper, among others. Since April 2012, Japan has increased its generation capacity from renewable sources by 15 percent to about 3.4 million kilowatts.

“Over the last two years, there’s been a realization among the big players – Toyota, Hitachi, shipbuilders – that there’s a huge opportunity in power,” said Andrew DeWit, a professor at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. “We’re also seeing radical efficiency gains.”

Even if Japan’s nuclear plants are allowed to restart, many will soon reach their 40-year operating limits, raising the issue of whether and how they will be replaced. Meanwhile, the disposal and security of nuclear waste are issues yet to be resolved.

For now, however, it appears any phase-out of nuclear power will be very gradual.

“In the long term if we can create new resources that are more efficient than the current oil-based system, then we can rely less on nuclear power, that’s quite possible,” Adachi said. “But it will take quite a long time.”

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Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.

Earlier on HuffPost:

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  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    A little boy prays for his relatives killed by the 2011 tsunami at a cemetery in Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO/ Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Second Anniversary Of 2011 Earthquake And Tsunami

    A man prays on a site destroyed by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday, March 10, 2013. Japan’s economy grew at an annualized 0.2 percent last quarter after shrinking 3.7 percent the three previous months, the worst since the 2011 earthquake, revised government data show. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

  • Second Anniversary Of 2011 Earthquake And Tsunami

    A woman looks at a vessel swept inland by the tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday, March 10, 2013. Japan’s economy grew at an annualized 0.2 percent last quarter after shrinking 3.7 percent the three previous months, the worst since the 2011 earthquake, revised government data show. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

  • Second Anniversary Of 2011 Earthquake And Tsunami

    A man takes a photograph of an area damaged by the tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake from a hill in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday, March 10, 2013. Japan’s economy grew at an annualized 0.2 percent last quarter after shrinking 3.7 percent the three previous months, the worst since the 2011 earthquake, revised government data show. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

  • Second Anniversary Of 2011 Earthquake And Tsunami

    Tractors damaged by the tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake are stacked in a pile in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday, March 10, 2013. Japan’s economy grew at an annualized 0.2 percent last quarter after shrinking 3.7 percent the three previous months, the worst since the 2011 earthquake, revised government data show. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

  • Second Anniversary Of 2011 Earthquake And Tsunami

    People walk along a street in an area damaged by the tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday, March 10, 2013. Japan’s economy grew at an annualized 0.2 percent last quarter after shrinking 3.7 percent the three previous months, the worst since the 2011 earthquake, revised government data show. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

  • Second Anniversary Of 2011 Earthquake And Tsunami

    Boats damaged by the tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake are stacked in a pile in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday, March 10, 2013. Japan’s economy grew at an annualized 0.2 percent last quarter after shrinking 3.7 percent the three previous months, the worst since the 2011 earthquake, revised government data show. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    A woman prays for her relatives killed by the 2011 tsunami at a cemetery in Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO/ Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    A woman prays for relatives killed by the 2011 tsunami at a cemetery in Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO/ Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

  • CORRECTION-JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    CORRECTION-DATELINE A man prays for tsunami victims in front of a Buddhist statue in the Arahama district in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2013, the second anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • CORRECTION-JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    CORRECTION-DATELINE A woman prays for tsunami victims in front of a Buddhist statue recently built on the seashore in the Arahama district in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2013, the second anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Flowers are offered for victims killed by the 2011 tsunami in Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO/ Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    A family prays for their relatives killed by the 2011 tsunami at a cemetery in Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO/ Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    A couple visits a cemetery to pray for victims killed by the 2011 tsunami in Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO/ Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Buddhists pray for tsunami victims on the seashore in the Arahama district in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 11, 2013, the second anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Buddhists pray for tsunami victims on the seashore in the Arahama district in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 11, 2013, the second anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Buddhists pray for tsunami victims on the seashore in the Arahama district in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 11, 2013, the second anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/G
    etty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Police officers search for tsunami victims two years after at the estuary of the Kyu Kitakami river in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed the lives of 15,881 people, with 2,668 others remaining unaccounted for, and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Coast guard officers search tsunami victims at the estuary of Kyu Kitakami river in Ishinomaki city, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013. March 11, 2013 marks the second anniversary of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Police officers search for tsunami victims two years after, at the estuary of the Kyu Kitakami river in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed the lives of 15,881 people, with 2,668 others remaining unaccounted for, and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Coast guard officers search for tsunami victims two years after, at the estuary of the Kyu Kitakami river in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed the lives of 15,881 people, with 2,668 others remaining unaccounted for, and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Relatives of tsunami victims pray at a memorial alter at the Okawa elementary school, where at least 70 students died in the 2011 tsunami, in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed the lives of 15,881 people, with 2,668 others remaining unaccounted for, and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    People are reflected in the stone as they visit a memorial alter to pray at the Okawa elementary school, where at least 70 students died in the 2011 tsunami, in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed the lives of 15,881 people, with 2,668 others remaining unaccounted for, and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Police officers search for tsunami victims two years after the devastating disaster in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed the lives of 15,881 people, with 2,668 others remaining unaccounted for, and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. JAPAN OUT AFP PHOTO / JIJI PRESS (Photo credit should read JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Police officers walk on a mud-covered riverside field near the Okawa elementary school to start a tsunami victim search operation in Ishinomaki city, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013. March 11, 2013 marks the second anniversary of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Police officers walk on a mud-covered riverside field near the Okawa elementary school to start a tsunami victim search operation in Ishinomaki city, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013. March 11, 2013 marks the second anniversary of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Police officers (R) search for tsunami victims two years after, at a mud-covered riverside field near the Okawa elementary school in Ishinomaki city, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013. March 11, 2013 marks the second anniversary of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Police officers take part in a minute of silence at 14:46 during their search misson of tsunami victims at the mud-covered riverside field near the Okawa elementary school in Ishinomaki city, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013. March 11, 2013 marks the second anniversary of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Police officers carry bouquets of flowers as they return to recommence their search misson for tsunami victims at the mud-covered riverside field near the Okawa elementary school in Ishinomaki city, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2013 after offering a minute of silence at 14:46. March 11, 2013 marks the second anniversary of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ACCIDENT-NUCLEAR-ANNIVERSARY

    People offer silent prayers for victims of the tsunami at Arahama district in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2013. Japan on March 11 marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. AFP PHOTO/Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    Wrecked vehicles remain in a field of reeds in Namie, two years after the March 11, 2011 tsunami and earthquake, near the striken TEPCO’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2013. March 11, 2013 marks the second anniversary of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people. AFP PHOTO / YOSHIKAZU TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

  • JAPAN-DISASTER-ANNIVERSARY-TSUNAMI

    An elderly man sits as he and with his wife (not pictured) visit a cemetery to pay respects to their son who was killed i
    n the March 2011 tsunami, in Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2013. March 11, 2013 marks the second anniversary of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people. AFP PHOTO / YOSHIKAZU TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

  • A boy prays for the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami victims after offering a flower in Otsuchi, Iwate prefecture, northern Japan Sunday, March 10, 2013. Japan will mark the second anniversary of the disaster on Monday. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, HONG KONG, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA AND FRANCE

  • Residents pray in front of a memorial for the victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami as they make a brief visit to a caution zone in Namie, Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan Sunday, March 10, 2013. Japan will mark the second anniversary of the disaster on Monday. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, HONG KONG, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA AND FRANCE

  • Cars stop at a traffic signal in a snow covered deserted port area, which was engulfed by a tsunami after the March 11, 2011 earthquake, in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, at dawn on Monday, March 11, 2013. Japan is marking the second anniversary of its earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe. Memorial services are planned Monday in Tokyo and in barren towns along the battered northeastern coast to coincide the moment the magnitude-9.0 earthquake — the strongest recorded in Japan’s history — struck, unleashing a massive tsunami that killed nearly 19,000 people. (AP Photo/Koji Ueda)

  • A man offers prayers in front of the main entrance of Okawa Elementary School where 74 of the 108 students went missing after the March 11 tsunami in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, Japan, Monday, March 11, 2013. The two-year anniversary Monday of Japan’s devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe is serving to spotlight the stakes of the country’s struggles to clean up radiation, rebuild lost communities and determine new energy and economic strategies. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

  • A woman prays during a rally against nuclear power plants as victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami are remembered, at a park in Tokyo, Monday, March 11, 2013. Japan marked the second anniversary on Monday of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

  • People observe a moment of silence for the victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami during an event at a park in Tokyo, Monday, March 11, 2013. Japan marked the second anniversary on Monday of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

  • Gathering around what is left of a disaster control center devastated by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, people bow their heads Monday, March 11, 2013 in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture, Japan, in a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. when the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast. Japan marked the second anniversary on Monday of a devastating disasters that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

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    People offer prayer in a moment of silence in front of what is left of a disaster control center in an area devastated by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, Monday, March 11, 2013. Japan marked the second anniversary on Monday of the devastating disasters that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

  • People observe a moment of silence in front of what is left of a disaster control center in an area devastated by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture, in Japan, Monday, March 11, 2013. Japan marked the second anniversary on Monday of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing.(AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

  • People offer prayers in front of what is left of a disaster control center in an area devastated by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, Monday, March 11, 2013. Japan marked the second anniversary on Monday of the devastating disasters that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

  • A worker walks behind a white plastic plate cutout of the words of a local businessperson, declaring determination to reopen the business, in a tsunami-stricken area in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, Monday, March 11, 2013. Japan marked the second anniversary on Monday of a devastating earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing. The words mean; I will restart my business from zero like my ancestor. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

  • A man points to the name of one of the victims of the earthquake and tsunami inscribed in a cenotaph in Okawa district in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, Monday, March 11, 2013. Japan marked the second anniversary on Monday of a devastating earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

  • People observe a moment of silence for the victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami during an event at a park in Tokyo, Monday, March 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

  • Aerial

    Red and white cranes stand by reactors of the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, Monday morning, March 11, 2013. The two-year anniversary Monday of Japan’s devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe is serving to spotlight the stakes of the country’s struggles to clean up radiation, rebuild lost communities and determine new energy and economic strategies. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, HONG KONG, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA AND FRANCE

  • People offer prayers as a Buddhist monk chants a sutra for tsunami victims to mark the second anniversary of the 2011 earthquake an tsunami on a beach in Arahama in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, Monday morning, March 11, 2013. Japan marked the second anniversary of the disasters, that killed nearly 19, 000 people in areas along Japan’s northeastern coast. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, HONG KONG, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA AND FRANCE

  • An artificially-restored “miracle pine tree,” that survived the March 11, 2011 tsunami, is silhouetted against the rising sun in Rikuzentakata, Iwate prefecture, Japan, Monday, March 11, 2013. Japan marked the second anniversary of its earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe, that killed nearly 19, 000 people in areas along Japan’s northeastern coast. The 27-meter (88-foot and 7-inch)-tall tree, a single survivor among 70,000 trees in a forest along the coast, has just been restored in a project to preserve it. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, HONG KONG, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA AND FRANCE

  • People offer prayers in front of a memorial cenotaph for tsunami victims on a beach in Arahama in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, Monday morning, March 11, 2013. Japan marked the second anniversary of its earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe, that killed nearly 19, 000 people in areas along Japan’s northeastern coast. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, HONG KONG, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA AND FRANCE

  • Police officers search for the remains of those who went missing in the March 11, 2011 tsunami on the coastlin
    e in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, Monday, March 11, 2013. The two-year anniversary Monday of Japan’s devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe is serving to spotlight the stakes of the country’s struggles to clean up radiation, rebuild lost communities and determine new energy and economic strategies.(AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

  • Women approach Okawa Elementary School where 74 of the 108 students went missing after the March 11 tsunami in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, Japan, Monday, March 11, 2013. The two-year anniversary Monday of Japan’s devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe is serving to spotlight the stakes of the country’s struggles to clean up radiation, rebuild lost communities and determine new energy and economic strategies. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)