NINA NETZER AND JOCHEN STEINHILBER(EDS.)| THE END OF NUCLEAR ENERGY? We have seen a similar phenomenon with personal computers, liquid crystal display televisions, mobile phones, and other small-scale distributed technologies. The more you diffuse the product, the more the technol­ogy advances and costs decline. Regarding wind power, the countries that have diffused the technology have already seen it become a competitor to thermal-fired power generation. Solar power is already experiencing annual cost declines of 10 per cent. This performance has allowed solar power to achieve grid parity already in countries such as Italy. So what is the vision for a future without anxieties about radioactivity and climate change? We can project a power economy that, over the next decade, elimi­nates nuclear power and further reduces demand by 20 per cent through energy efficiency. Renewable energy can realistically be relied upon to provide 30 per cent of power capacity. Further out, by 2050 we can eliminate fossil fuel usage entirely, increase energy efficiency by 50 per cent and rely on renewables for 100 per cent of our energy needs. tragedy of the nuclear catastrophe now offers an un­matched opportunity to ignite a 21 st century environ­mental and energy revolution. This revolution could leave the next generation a splendid legacy of abundance rather than crushing debt and other miseries. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 opened the road to the»rich coun­try, strong army« approach advocated by the leaders of late 19 th century Japan. However, eventually it led to war, defeat, and then surrender in 1945. The post-war period brought its own awful legacy with a fixation on economic growth that has led to the unfolding nuclear catastrophe. Now there is a real chance to build a strong country knitted together through renewables across the regions. The realisation of this sustainable dream is the responsibility of contemporary politics. 5. The 21 st Century Environmental­Energy Revolution Has Begun We need to devise a new policy framework for renew­able energy-centred regional self-reliance to replace the 20 th century fantasy of nuclear power. Renewable ener­gy is the fourth revolution of the human race, following on the spread of agriculture, the industrial revolution, and the IT revolution. It is also a rapidly expanding revo­lution, which last year exceeded 20 trillion Japanese yen globally in total worth. Renewables can ramp up capac­ity in a short space of time. They can scale up quickly and bring energy production as well as good jobs and a robust economic base to regions. Energy efficiency and renewable energies not only bring employment and economic opportunities to regional areas, they also keep income within the region rather than allowing it to be spent on the purchase of energy resources from else­where. This new green economy has been projected to grow by 10 times and to exceed 200 trillion Japanese yen over the next decade. In spite of this enormous opportunity, Japan was determined to turn its back on renewables and had centred its attention on nuclear power. The 52