Sometimes a robot just needs to hang out with its own kind. If that is the case, a move to Japan's Fukushima Prefecture might be just what the doctor ordered.
This is because the state minister in charge of revitalization of the area surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi Power Station, Wataru Takeshita, has plans of setting up a robot economic zone in the prefecture, in hopes, Asahi Shimbun reported, of helping residents return to the region that was evacuated in the wake of the 2011 reactor meltdowns at the plant.
Takeshita plans to add the economic zone for companies involved in robotics to the Law of Special Measures for Fukushima Reconstruction and Revitalization, which will be used as a government planning guide for the area.
In the special economic zone, the government will provide incentives for companies that develop robots that can help in decommissioning the devastated plant with the aim of speeding up the return of residents to the area. Takeshita expects to introduce the amendment in the current Diet session.
The incentives for companies developing robots will include favorable land prices, subsidies and tax breaks. Although decommissioning is expected to take 30 to 40 years, “The state has to show how to revitalize the prefecture after the 10-year post-quake reconstruction period,” Takeshita said at a news conference, referring to the so-called Great East Japan Earthquake, which set off the events that crippled the nuclear power station. He also said the government would take steps to control wild boars in evacuated areas that are vandalizing vacant homes, the newspaper said.
In related energy news, a government panel in Japan has begun discussions of setting energy targets with members considering a 15 percent to 20 percent contribution from nuclear power plants as a starting point. This compares to 29 percent just before the Fukushima disaster, Japan Today reported.
"Stating whether nuclear power is necessary and important would help decide the energy mix, and without this (commitment), it is difficult to deal with restarts," said Issei Nishikawa, governor of the Fukui Prefecture, home of more than a dozen nuclear reactors.