Some 67% of people between the ages of 17 and 19 in Japan make power-saving efforts on a daily basis, with many apparently driven to conserve energy amid Russia's war in Ukraine, a recent survey showed.
With the government asking businesses and households to cut electricity consumption from July to September to avoid a power crunch, respondents to the Nippon Foundation survey said they had reviewed their usage of air conditioning and lighting.
In the survey, 54.4% of the respondents said they were very or somewhat interested in Japan's energy policy, while 69.7% were aware of the country's low energy independence.
The government and some electricity suppliers offer a point system to reward households that implement energy-saving measures, but only 17.3% said they understood how the system works.
The country's electricity supply and demand balance has been tight since the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami, led to the suspension of many reactors.
Public concern about a power crunch has grown amid the suspension of operations at several thermal plants earlier this year due to technical problems and fuel procurement difficulties due to the Ukraine crisis.
According to the survey, 43.6% of respondents supported the government's plan to increase nuclear energy utilization to 20% to 22% of the country's power mix by 2030, while 17.6% called for a higher proportion.
Regarding efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, 55.8% cited the introduction of renewable energy sources to power public transport as the most promising, followed by environmentally friendly city development at 55.1%, and forest management and urban greening at 55%.
The Tokyo-based foundation conducted the online survey covering a total of 1,000 people age 17 to 19 across Japan from July 29 to Aug. 2.