A shaky start to 2024
Japan was rocked by a powerful earthquake on the first day of 2024, claiming the lives of more than 80 people and leaving thousands without electricity in the western Hokuriku region. The magnitude 7.6 quake also triggered a tsunami warning, reminding many of the devastating disaster that struck the country in 2011 and caused a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima plant.
The earthquake has reignited the debate over Japan’s reliance on nuclear power, which accounts for about 30% of its energy supply. Japan is located on the “Ring of Fire,” a zone of intense seismic activity around the Pacific Ocean, making it vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis.
