Anti-nuclear energy stance fades among LDP presidential hopefuls

Among the many candidates for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership race, which effectively decides who Japan's next prime minister will be, an anti-nuclear policy stance is fading. Some candidates who were once known as anti-nuclear advocates are shifting their position as energy demands are likely to see a big jump due to developments in artificial intelligence and the need to build more data centers to power such technology. "As for energy, it would be a huge blow to the economy if companies choose to move their data centers outside of Japan and invest in AI in other countries, just because Japan is unable to provide electricity," said digital minister Taro Kono, who recently declared his candidacy for the Sept. 27 LDP leadership race.