To solve the two significant problems of climate change and energy security, Japanese Government decided the promotion of new construction of innovative nuclear power plants (NPPs) at the stations that existing reactors are decided to be decommissioned. Public opinion on nuclear energy is an important factor in building support for new construction of NPPs. In this study, opinion surveys on the restart of existing NPPs, new construction of NPPs, and new construction of NPPs that no longer require evacuation were conducted at municipalities with NPPs, neighbor municipalities, and nationwide in Japan. Little difference among three groups is observed. New construction of NPPs that no longer require evacuation got more support than new construction of NPPs. In municipalities with NPPs and neighbor municipalities, it was found that majority of respondents had little knowledge of evacuation plans and had little experience participating in evacuation drills. One quarter of the respondents do not accept evacuation at all. To take into account this residents’ opinion and to strengthen Defense-in-Depth from existing NPPs, performance objective of new NPPs should aim to no longer require evacuation. Based on these findings, this research provides valuable insights that can help advance nuclear energy policy in Japan.

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