As I approached the Mihama nuclear power plant in Japan there was a large banner posted outside the PR Centre: ‘Forty years and counting’.

I couldn’t help but snicker at the irony given the recent Fukushima nuclear catastrophe.  I wondered just how long they would be counting.

Inside the centre there was elaborate miniature scale models, hologram character performances and life size imitation nuclear reactors all explaining how the technology works – and all projecting an aura of guaranteed safety.  Or at least, trying to.

Will Japan head the lessons of the March 11, 2011 disaster and begin the difficult transition to alternative energy sources? Or will it shun further potential catastrophes and continue to rely on nuclear energy?

This video explores Japan’s current attitudes towards nuclear energy and the barriers it faces in pursuing energy policy reforms. featuring interviews with Momoyama Gakuin University media lecturer Takashi Suzuki and former Fukui prefecture council member and prolific anti-nuclear campaigner Teruaki Matsushita.

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Glen Clancy is a third-year Bachelor of Journalism student at La Trobe University.  You can read more of his work on his blog and follow him on Twitter: @TheYGeneration.