Singapore/Hong Kong, March 14
Switzerland put on hold some approvals for nuclear power plants and Germany cast doubts about its industry after the Japanese nuclear crisis, raising questions over the future of the global sector. Taiwan’s state-run Taipower also said it was studying plans to cut nuclear power output.

The crisis at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power complex north of Tokyo is likely to increase opposition to major nuclear expansion in Europe and hurt a renaissance for the sector in the United States, which already has more than 100 reactors.

Swiss Energy Minister Doris Leuthard suspended the approvals process for three nuclear power stations so safety standards can be revisted after the crisis in Japan.

However, the disaster might give renewables and greener fuels such as LNG sector a boost in the quest for safer energy. Of Japan’s 54 reactors, 11 are shut down because of the quake.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Monday that a government decision to extend the life of the country’s nuclear power stations could be suspended following the crisis in Japan.

Senator Joe Lieberman, who chairs the US Senate’s homeland security panel, said on Sunday the United States should “put the brakes on” new nuclear power plants until the impact of the incident in Japan became clear.

Simon Powell, head of sustainable research at CLSA in Hong Kong said: “I don’t think nuclear is going to be done away with but it is likely that people’s nuclear programs will be delayed as they question whether it is the right thing to,” he said.

An executive at state-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) said: “The nuclear power industry is likely to shrink due to Japan’s nuclear accident.” “Rising opposition is seen in developed countries, although developing countries may see less opposition due to their shortage of power unless they reside in earthquake zones,” the executive said.

Asia’s insatiable appetite for electricity is however unlikely to derail nuclear programmes but would likely lead to a reassessment of safety procedures or designs and a further diversification of energy sources. Globally, renewable energy such as wind power could benefit in the medium term.

KGI Asia analyst Jennifer Liang said the nuclear incident had strengthened the case for safer sources of renewable energy. But she also pointed to the current limitations of green energy. “The solar or wind industry is still young and is unlikely to replace nuclear use in the near or medium term,” she said from Taipei. “How do you replace the base load power from nuclear?”

Nuclear accounts for 30 per cent of Japan’s electricity. “While Japan may stick to nuclear, it (nuclear programme) will likely suffer delays and there will be more cost overruns,” said Thiemo Lang, a Zurich-based senior portfolio manager with Sustainable Asset Management. — Reuters

Tokyo, March 14
Some 2,000 bodies were found today on the two shores in Miyagi Prefecture, the worst hit by Friday's earthquake and massive tsunami, as Japan continued to struggle to grasp the full extent of the disaster.

The findings will significantly increase the death toll from the magnitude 9.0 quake and ensuing tsunami, with police having so far confirmed 1,647 deaths and 1,720 people missing across the affected areas in northeastern and eastern Japan, Kyodo news agency reported from Miyagi's main town Sendai.

About 1,000 bodies were washed ashore on the hardest-hit Miyagi's Ojika Peninsula while another 1,000 were spotted in the town of Minamisanriku where the prefectural government has been unable to contact about 10,000 people, or over half the local population.

The official death toll excludes about 200 to 300 bodies in Sendai, the capital of Miyagi, that have yet to be recovered by police and other workers due to the difficulty of reaching them amid the devastation and rubble.

About 450,000 people had evacuated by yesterday in Miyagi and five other prefectures but water, food and fuel are in short supply in various locations where they have taken refuge, prompting the government to decide to airlift supplies by Self-Defense Forces helicopters.

The whereabouts of about 2,500 tourists who were visiting the quake-hit areas have not been confirmed, the Japan Tourism Agency said.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said today in a meeting at the government disaster headquarters that emergency workers have so far rescued 15,000 survivors.

A Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyer rescued 32 people around the quay at Ishinomaki port on Saturday, the Defense Ministry said separately.

With the country's largest recorded quake having crippled some nuclear power plants in the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan, Tokyo Electric Power Co. is set to start an unprecedented rationing of power in the Kanto region surrounding Tokyo later in the day to make up for an expected power shortage. — PTI

Sendai, March 14
Millions of Japanese people were without food, water or power today and hundreds of thousands more homeless after a quake and tsunami left the economic superpower battling third-world conditions.

Aid workers and search teams from across the world joined 100,000 Japanese soldiers in a massive relief push as the rattled country suffered a wave of major aftershocks and fresh tsunami scare, while temperatures plummeted.

Store shelves and petrol stations emptied across the country as panic buying took hold, while 2.6 million houses were without electricity and 3.2 million people were running out of gas supplies, according to the United Nations.

Queues snaked across hard-hit Sendai city as people waited patiently to stock up on necessities. Lines even stretched from phone boxes, with mobile signals patchy and erratic in the disaster zone. Ravaged Ishinomaki, a town of about 165,000, is without power or communications and aid supplies have faltered due to transport damage.

“At the Red Cross hospital, no space is left unused. Exhausted Red Cross medics sleep side by side with the wounded,” Red Cross spokesman said. — AFP

Singapore, March 14
Several Asian governments said today they would screen food imported from Japan for radiation after one of the country's nuclear power plants was damaged by a massive earthquake and tsunami.

Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan said they would take precautionary measures after two explosions at the ageing Fukushima plant. "As far as radiation is concerned, I think the most at-risk articles are those fresh products, perhaps dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables," Hong Kong's Secretary for Food and Health York Chow told reporters.

"In case we detect anything, of course we will ban those products from Hong Kong." Singapore's food regulator said: "As a precautionary measure, AVA (the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore) will monitor Japanese produce based on source and potential risk of contamination. Samples will be taken for testing for radiation," it said in a statement. — AFP