Japan should use nuclear plants to offset Iran crisis, opposition party says

Japan should operate all of its nuclear power plants available to offset the impact of the Iran war on electricity bills, Yuichiro Tamaki, the leader of a Japanese opposition party, said on Monday.



Japan relies on the Middle East for around 95% of its oil supplies and 11% of its liquefied natural gas imports with around 70% and 6% respectively coming via the Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively closed due to the war.



"Unless we make full use of nuclear power as a carbon-free power source with less dependence on overseas sources, electricity bills will inevitably rise," Tamaki, who heads the Democratic Party for the People, said in a statement on X.



Oil prices surged about 20% on Monday, hitting their highest since July 2022, as the expanding U.S.-Israeli war with Iran fuelled fears of tighter supply.



Japan shut down all of its 54 nuclear power reactors - which provided roughly 30% of the country's electricity - in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi plant nuclear meltdowns. Thirty-three remain operable but only 15 have been restarted.