Photo Gallery Resisting a Nuclear Comeback
The town of Rikuzentakata after it was destroyed by the March 2011 tsunami in Japan: Since the tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, 52 of Japan's 54 nuclear power plants have been shut down.
What Rikuzentakata looks like today: Japan, which has heavily relied on nuclear power for decades, is in the process -- albeit unwillingly -- of eliminating its atomic energy sector. But, in stark contrast to Germany, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for an historic transition to renewable energy after the Fukushima disaster, the Japanese phase-out is largely taking place without political debate.
Children pose next to a Geiger counter measuring radiation levels in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture: Before the Fukushima disaster, Japan met nearly one-third of its energy needs with nuclear power. Tokyo was planning to build 14 additional nuclear power plants by 2030.
